Eric Barone, the sole creator of the hit farming simulator and role-playing game Stardew Valley, has temporarily put development on his upcoming game Haunted Chocolatier on hold. The new game is another sim RPG expected to be darker than its spiritual predecessor.
Barone didn’t elaborate on how long he would pause development, but it’s only temporary. The development pause was due to the Stardew Valley 1.6 update that Barone announced last summer.
While we’re told Stardew Valley’s major update 1.5 will be the last major update of its kind in 2021, Baron clearly can’t stay away, and neither can fans. The 1.6 update will add new content to the game, but on a completely different scale than the 1.5 update. The new update will also provide more tools and resources for modders, and while Barone worked hard to get it live, he had to stop his work on Haunted Chocolatier in the meantime.
There will be a Stardew 1.6 update. It’s mostly a change for modders (which will make modding easier and more powerful). But there is also new gameplay content, albeit much less than in 1.5. I’m taking a break from Haunted Chocolatier and currently working on this.Then back to HC
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) April 16, 2023
iGamesNews
The upcoming game will focus more on combat than farming, and players will find ways to craft chocolate. It’s all while engaging with plenty of the small-town life we’re used to in Stardew Valley; expect charming NPCs to love and loathe, and plenty of secrets to discover.
In response to Barone’s announcement on Twitter, fans apparently tried to get more details about the two games from the creators.Speaking about the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, Barone confirmed that there will be some more new conversations. As for Haunted Chocolatier, Barone shared an interesting piece of information; the town we will be living in is on the water, and the pier.
While there’s no official release date for the 1.6 update for Stardew Valley, nor for Haunted Chocolatier, we can rest assured that Eric Barone will undoubtedly be working tirelessly on both games at all times. As an indie developer, the best thing fans of his work can give him is patience! We all know all too well that with Eric Barone’s work, any wait will be worth it.
