He also confirmed that Haunted Chocolatier won't be absorbed into Stardew Valley, either.
It’s been awhile since players have heard anything about Haunted Chocolatier, the next game of Stardew Valley developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. And after months of little news regarding the game's development, he has reiterated that he won’t abandon the game altogether.
In a post on his official blog, entitled “Update: I’m still working like always” on 28 January, he immediately shared that he had been “very productive lately on Haunted Chocolatier.”
The creator of Stardew Valley has reassured fans that the long-awaited game is still very much alive, pushing back against rumours that development has stalled or been abandoned.
“I know, I know, I shouldn’t have announced the game so early,” he said, further explaining that “I had my reasons.” Alongside the update were some new screenshots about the game that served as previews about the game’s progress. He added that the extended development time is “okay”, signalling that the project is still moving forward at its own pace.
ConcernedApe dismisses rumours and assumptions about Haunted Chocolatier
On top of these screenshots, Barone also addressed lingering doubts around whether Haunted Chocolatier could be quietly shelved in favour of Stardew Valley. Barone was blunt on that front, stating, “I am not going to abandon Haunted Chocolatier.” He went on to explain that even hypothetically folding its content into Stardew Valley would not be possible, as the two games are built separately and written from scratch on different technical foundations.
Another common assumption, that Stardew Valley updates are being used as a testing ground for ideas meant for Haunted Chocolatier, was also dismissed. He explained that when he works on one game, he is not thinking about the other, and that experimenting inside Stardew Valley would be unfair to its player base and risk spoiling ideas intended for the new game.
The update also pushed back on claims that recent Stardew Valley updates are the result of burnout. The developer clarified that ongoing work on Stardew Valley is simply because of its popularity and growing audience, and because he still has ideas he wants to implement there.
Finally, Barone addressed repeated chatter around a supposed 2030 release window. He stated plainly that he never said the game would launch that late, explaining that a past comment about “hoping” it would release within five years was misinterpreted. “I don’t want to give a release date,” he said, reiterating that the game will arrive when it is finished.
For now, Haunted Chocolatier remains in active development, with no release date attached–just steady progress, and patience still required.
