At the end of January, Stardew Valley<\/em> creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone uploaded a new post to his blog, providing an update on the current state of his upcoming game, the candy-themed life sim Haunted Chocolatier<\/em>. In the post, Barone confirmed that the game is still in development, noting that it’s “taking a while to finish the game,” and adding, “That’s okay.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Barone also admitted that he regrets announcing Haunted Chocolatier<\/em> so early, and dedicated a large portion of the post to dispelling rumors surrounding the game. A few days later, in early February, he gave an update on Stardew Valley’<\/em>s massive new 1.7 patch, and stated that his beloved farming sim “might not ever be done.”<\/p>\n In both posts, Barone sounds straight-up exhausted. His words paint a picture of someone who isn’t necessarily burnt-out on game development in general, but is tired of being hounded for details about Haunted Chocolatier<\/em>, which does not yet have a release date. I’ll admit, I was over the moon when he first announced Haunted Chocolatier<\/em> back in 2021. I love cozy life sims, I love chocolate, I love spooky aesthetics, and I love Barone’s charming pixel art. But for my fellow Stardew<\/em> fans who, like myself, are awaiting its successor with bated breath, I have a request: Please leave Barone the hell alone. As much as I’m dying to play it, I really don’t care how long it takes him to finish Haunted Chocolatier<\/em>.<\/p>\n Barone is a one-man development team who has made a massive impact on the cozy game genre and created one of the best farming\/life-sim titles on the market today. Stardew Valley<\/em> can stand toe-to-toe with the likes of <\/em>Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/em> and The Sims 4<\/em> \u2014 games that were created by massive, well-funded development teams. But unlike Nintendo and EA, Barone has never asked players for an additional dime. He’s spent the decade since Stardew<\/em>‘s release pumping out massive content updates, all of which are free, as is the game’s co-op mode.<\/p>\n You can see everything Stardew Valley<\/em> has to offer by purchasing the game for a mere $15 (or less, it frequently goes on sale). By contrast, Nintendo’s recently released (and extremely well-received) Pok\u00e9mon Pokopia<\/em> costs an eye-watering $70, not counting any potential future DLC. The Sims 4′<\/em>s base game is now available for free, but it’ll cost you roughly $1,600 if you want all of the game’s DLC content. Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/em> costs $60, plus an additional $25 if you want the Happy Home Paradise<\/em> DLC. Sure, Nintendo just released a huge free update for New Horizons<\/em>, but it’s nothing compared to the plethora of free Stardew<\/em> updates Barone has cranked out over the years, all without ever asking players for another dime. Barone could charge for these massive Stardew<\/em> game updates, and I’d happily pay for them. But he doesn’t. He updates his $15 game for free, and I respect his commitment to improving it without nickel-and-diming the playerbase.<\/p>\n Am I dying to get my hands on Haunted Chocolatier<\/em> and live out my spooky Willy Wonka fantasy? Absolutely. But I’ll happily wait another decade for the game to arrive if that means it will be as in-depth, polished, and satisfying to play as Stardew Valley<\/em> is. Plus, with all the new Stardew<\/em> content Barone has been releasing, I have more than enough game left to keep me occupied until Haunted Chocolatier<\/em> is ready.<\/p>\n In a world full of disappointing cozyslop, Eric Barone is one of the only developers taking the time to flesh out every inch of a game that was already fantastic when it launched a decade ago. I’d much rather have another wonderful Stardew<\/em>-like experience than play an unfinished mess that was rushed out the door early to appease eager players. As Barone has said, Haunted Chocolatier<\/em> “will come out when it\u2019s ready.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/static0.polygonimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/haunted-chocolatier-woods.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\")
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