By Haunted Chocolatier, the successor to Stardew Valley, was unveiled back in October 2021. However, its creator, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, cannot confirm whether it will be released within five years.
To be fair, Barone was questioned unexpectedly during his appearance on Bobby Lee’s TigerBelly podcast (timestamped here), and he was likely being extra cautious not to make any commitments or confirm a release timeframe on the podcast. His response indicates that Haunted Chocolatier seems to be in the early stages of its development, despite being announced nearly four years ago.
“I hope so,” he responded when directly asked if Haunted Chocolatier would be available within the next five years. “That’s the target… there’s still a lot that needs to be completed.”
Barone has been open about his challenges in dedicating time to Haunted Chocolatier while still working on Stardew Valley 1.6. However, now that this significant update has been released across all platforms, he has recently committed to focusing entirely on the sequel.
“It has to surpass [Stardew Valley],” Barone noted.
In the same conversation, he sparked excitement by mentioning the phrase “Stardew Valley 2,” apparently for the first time publicly. Barone indicated that he “might eventually” create a full sequel to Stardew Valley, but let’s hope he ensures Haunted Chocolatier launches first, as we cozy horror enthusiasts eagerly await our dose.