Eric Barone, the solo developer responsible for Stardew Valley, gave an update on Haunted Chocolatier recently that may have left some eager fans disappointed. According to Barone, the highly anticipated Haunted Chocolatier may not be ready until the next decade, meaning Stardew Valley lovers who are awaiting more from the developer may need to gear up for a serious test of patience.
This long wait was confirmed during Barone’s recent appearance on comedian Bobby Lee’s podcast, TigerBelly. Lee asked Barone if Haunted Chocolatier would come out in the next five years, with Barone simply stating, “I hope so.” According to Barone, there is still a lot of work left to do on the game, despite it being announced back in 2021. Although Barone revealed the game nearly four years ago, it’s easy to understand why development has been so slow.
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The wait for Haunted Chocolatier is bound to be long, but there are thankfully plenty of games to try out ahead of its launch.
Over the Years, Stardew Valley Has Kept Eric Barone Incredibly Busy, Leaving Little Time for Haunted Chocolatier
Barone Has Addressed the Lack of Haunted Chocolatier Updates
Back in December of last year, Barone posted to the official Haunted Chocolatier blog, giving fans insight into why the wait has been so lengthy. In the post, he states, “It’s been a little sad to see Haunted Chocolatier getting dusty on the shelf… but this is the reality of my situation. Stardew Valley is a big and popular game, and I have a lot of attachment to it.” One of the biggest reasons as to why progress on Haunted Chocolatier was halted is simply because he was busy working on one of Stardew Valley‘s biggest post-launch updates, which was released last year.
He further wrote to fans, “Before I took this break for Stardew 1.6, I had created a ‘vertical slice’ of Haunted Chocolatier, essentially a skeleton of the game with most (not all) of its bones in place.” While having the game’s foundation built is a promising hint at Haunted Chocolatier‘s current state, it also means there is plenty more work to get done. Beyond the general bones of the game, there are entire mechanics and features that need to be completed. With Barone’s history of continuously tweaking Stardew Valley, there’s no doubt that he will be meticulous with these decisions.
Naturally, that type of care and attention to detail moves slowly, so when taking that into consideration, it makes a potential 2030 release date for Haunted Chocolatier not surprising at all. It’s also important to remember that Barone works alone for the most part, and that’s always bound to make game development take even longer.
It’s been a little sad to see Haunted Chocolatier getting dusty on the shelf… but this is the reality of my situation. Stardew Valley is a big and popular game, and I have a lot of attachment to it.
Instead of a farming simulator, Haunted Chocolatier follows a candy maker who also lives inside a castle that happens to be filled with ghosts. Another big difference from Stardew Valley is that Haunted Chocolatier will have a bigger emphasis on combat.
Whenever Haunted Chocolatier Finally Arrives, it Will Be the End of an Era
Over the years, Stardew Valley has been Barone’s only work, so Haunted Chocolatier will be the closing of one era, but the beginning of an exciting new one. Stardew Valley‘s influence on the indie world has been clear, and when Haunted Chocolatier finally arrives, it will be thrilling to see what the candy-making title has in store, no matter what year it happens to release in.