Stardew Valley stands as one of the most triumphant indie games in history, having sold over 41 million copies as of December this year.
This represents a substantial profit for developer ConcernedApe, who has primarily developed the game independently. Though he has hired others occasionally and sought assistance in porting it to various platforms, by March 2024, his net worth is estimated at $45 million.
According to the official Stardew Valley website, 26 million copies of the game have been sold on PC and 7.9 million on the Nintendo Switch. The game is also available on PS5, Xbox Series X, and mobile, allowing you to play the game practically anywhere. Personally, I have it on both PC and Switch, but I favor the convenience of the PC version.
My girlfriend has become quite absorbed in it during the holidays, much to the delight of her sister, who has logged numerous hours across PC, mobile, and Switch. This is quite surprising to me since my partner isn’t a gamer at all; however, she has spent hours daily playing, and they’ve successfully completed the community center in under a year on a shared farm. Discover the proper way to play it cooperatively here and see if you can accomplish it faster than they did.
Stardew Valley continues to be relevant today due to its consistent updates. Version 1.6 is the latest rollout, and as noted by our own Heather Wald, it has “brought a sense of excitement and exploration back to Pelican Town, and I’m getting lost in it all over again.”
ConcernedApe, whose real name is Eric Barone, has another project in development called Jumpy Chocolatier, which is currently “gathering dust on the shelf.” However, he expresses: “Stardew Valley is a wonderful and beloved game, and I have a deep emotional connection to it. I also feel a strong sense of duty to all those who have purchased Stardew Valley over the years, which has afforded me this rare chance to be an indie game creator. Thus, it is challenging to ‘let go’ of Stardew, even temporarily, to focus on something that isn’t already cherished by people.” His commitment is evidently being richly rewarded.
He has also been “in a trance” playing Balatro, just like many of us, which may not have contributed to his productivity.
Weekly updates, stories from the communities you care about, and more
If you are looking for new games to explore, check out the best Stardew Valley mods that you can use to enhance the gameplay experience.
