ConcernedApe Assures Fans He Won’t Abandon Haunted Chocolatier, Acknowledges Early Announcement Was Premature

Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, the creative force behind the beloved farming sim from 2016, is currently juggling updates for Stardew Valley and the development of his new project, Haunted Chocolatier. He reassures fans that he is actively working on both titles.

Last year, ConcernedApe shared his intention to adopt a “creative director” role for the upcoming Stardew Valley 1.7 update, allowing him to dedicate most of his focus to Haunted Chocolatier. He acknowledged that while the 1.7 update might slightly delay the new cozy sim, it wouldn’t be as significant as some might fear, emphasizing that his primary focus is on his next game.

Although there hasn’t been a recent update, ConcernedApe’s latest message indicates that progress on Haunted Chocolatier is going well. He expressed, “I’ve been very productive lately on Haunted Chocolatier. Yep, it’s taking a while to finish the game. That’s oaky,” playfully using “oaky” instead of “okay.”

He addressed some common misconceptions circulating among fans, starting with the idea that he might abandon Haunted Chocolatier in favor of merging it with Stardew Valley. “No. First, I am not going to abandon Haunted Chocolatier,” he clarified. He further explained that even if he were to abandon it, merging the two games wouldn’t be feasible, as they are built on different engines and are fundamentally separate experiences.

ConcernedApe also tackled the rumor that updates for Stardew Valley are being used to test features for Haunted Chocolatier. “Nope. When working on Stardew Valley, I’m not thinking about Haunted Chocolatier, and vice versa. I wouldn’t ‘test something out’ in Stardew Valley because that would be unfair to Stardew Valley, and I don’t want to spoil ideas for Haunted Chocolatier.”

He dismissed the notion that he is working on a new Stardew Valley update due to burnout from Haunted Chocolatier, stating, “I’m working on a new Stardew update because it’s a very popular game with a large, ever-growing player base, and I still have additional ideas for how to improve it.”

Lastly, he addressed concerns about the potential five-year wait for Haunted Chocolatier. While he previously mentioned a goal for a 2030 release, he clarified, “I hope so,” when asked if it would be out within the next five years. He emphasized that he doesn’t want to commit to a release date, stating, “The game will come out when it’s done.”

In closing, he reiterated the importance of making progress on the game and expressed his commitment to that goal. Fans are eagerly anticipating the release, and the excitement continues to build as development progresses.