Stardew Valley Creator Open To Sequel, But Admits Updates Are "Much Easier"

sighs
...Just finishes the stupid chocolate ghost game already. T.T

Stardew needs a cross save option for consoles.

I’m all for that. I had my fun with Stardew Valley. He should do what he wants. I for one am much more excited that The Chocolatier is not a Stardew sequel.

I played sooooo much Stardew last year (my first time playing it). But I don’t think I ever will again, and that is no knock at all. Oddly it’s the opposite. It was so memorable I just don’t need to repeat it. Listening to the soundtrack from time to time when I want that huge nostalgia hit will be great. Some absolute transcendental tunes there. It’s a 10/10, unforgettable game. And I have lots of games Ive played multiple times and plan to revisit, but not Stardew.

Can’t wait for Haunted Chocolatier

I know I'll be hated for it, but I REALLY vibe with this guy.
He himself didn't like Stardew Valley, saw a ton of flaws with it, and seriously doesn't understand why it became so huge.
And I have ALWAYS been in agreement with him.

Stardew Valley isn't a bad game, per se. But man did it lack personality.
Every idea of a personality people think the game has: either had to be modded in, or lives entirely in people's headcanon. The game itself is lackluster in personality.
It made up for it with its mechanics. But mechanics really aren't everything for cozy games.

A majority of the reason why it found success was that most of its players never played Rune Factory, let alone ever heard of Harvest Moon (the old one, not the new one). Not saying that Rune Factory/Harvest Moon >>> Stardew Valley, but saying that being familiar with both titles really lowers the "wonder" of Stardew Valley. It wouldn't be as popular as it was if the audience HAD played those titles.

Going to expect someone to come charging in here and misinterpret what I posted. So I'll say in auto-defense: you can still love Stardew Valley even if you're a Harvest Moon & Rune Factory vet. But the truth is, you weren't as shocked, surprised, and wowed like everyone else when you played it. You literally had a different reaction than everyone else. It's like new people's reactions to New Horizons VS Animal Crossing vets' reactions to New Horizons. They're two completely different breeds. And the truth is, more people in the latter disliked New Horizons than the former group. And in THE SAME EXACT WAY: more people in the group who played Harvest Moon/Rune Factory BEFORE playing Stardew Valley - disliked Stardew Valley, than those who had never played a game like it.
I just so happen to be in the group that dislikes it for those reasons. Stardew Valley's creator is literally in the same group!
It's literally the opposite of blasphemy to fully agree with the guy who made it.

Anyways, I wish him well in all his games. Stardew Valley's continued success, Haunted Chocolatier's debut, and any future games. He's a pretty cool dude.

I mean if it makes money, get your bag. After all he did this game as a side project. SV isn’t for me (I prefer bokumono and my indie pick is Coral Island) but hey a lot of people enjoy it. I do think at this point he has made enough money to do projects that make him happy so he should do that. Stardew, especially since it is on so many platforms, is an evergreen revenue stream at this point. Love Maru though.

If he doesn’t want to be the Stardew Guy, then he needs to make something else. Though from what I saw of THC it seems like a sequel to SV in all but name.

I understand when he says he doesn't want to be a one trick pony. Unfortunately so many other artists suffer from this and subsequently start to hate their chosen craft. I can fully understand that.

I hope The Haunted Chocolatier works out for him and perhaps now would also be a good time to consider Stardew Valley done, then? I mean, if you keep updating it, you're just going to keep circling back to a project where your heart no longer is at, right?

Wish him all the best, I love people with passion for games, even though I never played Stardew Valley and don't intend to. But that's just because I'm a bit tired of farm sims and the market is flooded with them already. I'm much more interested in the new game he is cooking up!

The dude is a lone developer. He should do whatever he wants and not be hounded for doing so. Making games is hard enough without having to deal with entitled pr*cks on top of that.

The way I see it, if a new Harvest Moon (both old and new) and Story of Seasons game can come out every few years, why not a new Stardew Valley? Yeah, you can update the original game all you want, but I think there's only so much you can do with the game's code at the end of the day before you're left with no choice other than to make a new game altogether.

For example, Microsoft said that Windows 10 would be their final version of the Windows operating system and would just continue to update that instead of releasing a new one, only to release Windows 11 a few years later. And a couple days ago, when I restarted my computer to install some updates, it said that Windows will discontinue supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, just a little over five months away.

As much as I love Windows 10, I'll be left with no other choice but to upgrade to Windows 11 (and I might as well upgrade the hardware, too, since most of the components are getting long in the tooth, having not been replaced since I bought the PC in 2018). And of course, it could very well be by the time I do, we'll probably end up with Windows 12.

@MrDocena Actually, I played most of the RF and HM games before Stardew, and I was still absolutely delighted by it. Barone really understood what made those games great, and doubled down on the two things I love most about them: the farming and the social interaction.

In terms of farming, Stardew easily beats every HM/SoS/RF game. There’s an open-endedness to how you can develop your farm, but at the same time, every crop and animal feels perfectly well-balanced.

As for social interaction, Rune Factory 3 and 4 come close, but I still found the characters in Stardew more interesting. It has way more dialogue than either of those games, which makes the characters feel more alive.

I think of Stardew as a Harvest Moon fan game that grew into something so huge and wonderful that it surpassed its influences and became the best game in the genre.

@Joeynator3000 He is basically one guy making the entire game. That takes a lot of time

@AstroTheGamosian Those games have a studio of people behind them. Stardew is one guy.

@Inc True. But still, I think you can only do so much with the code before you're left with no choice but to make something new.

I listened to the episode, it was pretty cool. Anyone who's a Stardew fan and interested in seeing/ listening to a wildly obsessed stand up comedian worship Barone for ~ an hour and a half, should probably give it a listen.

Bobby Lee ( guy running the podcast) reaches "Misery" levels of admiration for the guy. I got too much to play already, but it got me wanting to start up a game. I only ever dabbled with Stardew in the past.

if I was him I'd announce retirement, enjoy my millions and start releasing games under a different psudonym with no pressure to follow up what he almost certainly cannot.

We don't need another Stardew Valley. The one we have is already amazing! I'm looking forward to Haunted Chocolatier.

Any news on a Switch 2 upgrade? I still have it on my replay list, but he keeps announcing more content, so I'm waiting for the best time to play it

@HylianWxo Top it off with crossplay and it’d be golden.

Gonna have to jump system generations eventually.