Release of New Game from Stardew Valley Creator Might Face Delays

Alright, so. Let me see if I’ve got this right. We’re waiting on a game called Haunted Chocolatier from Eric Barone, who everyone knows as the dude behind Stardew Valley. It’s supposed to drop — or maybe not? — by 2030. Barone doesn’t seem super keen on setting any serious deadlines, though. Probably wise given this whole development situation. Anyway, folks might be thinking it’ll show up sooner. Surprise, it probably won’t.

I remember hearing about Haunted Chocolatier back in October 2021. Seemed exciting—a game where you kind of mix ghostly action RPG vibes with making chocolate? Sounds wild. Barone has dropped some updates since, but without really saying when we might actually see the thing.

So, funny thing, Barone got sidetracked with a Stardew Valley update (1.6, for those keeping count), which kind of put Haunted Chocolatier on hold. That update was a big deal apparently—tons of new stuff. Anyway — where was I? Oh, yeah. Barone’s flying solo on this one like he did with Stardew Valley, meaning he’s the only one working on it until it’s pretty much done.

Recently, in a chat with Bobby Lee (yes, the comedian), Barone was asked if we’d get the game in the next five years. He hesitated—like really, you could almost hear him thinking through the awkward silence—before going, “I hope so.” But then he was like, still loads to do, you know?

Not that anyone cares about timelines anymore, but turns out, Haunted Chocolatier was cooking even before it was announced. Yep, since 2020. Barone let this little nugget slip on the project’s site, saying things were moving along nicely till Stardew Valley crashed the party again. He eventually got back to the Chocolatier grind by the end of 2024.

By December of that year, he was still knee-deep in work. It’s kind of his thing—doing everything himself before calling in any backup. I guess he wants the game to scream “Barone” from start to finish. Makes sense. Stardew Valley was all him till about the 1.3 update in 2018, too.

Here’s something: Barone doesn’t just want to be known as the Stardew Valley guy. He even told Lee that. Alongside Haunted Chocolatier, Barone’s cooking up something mysterious with another developer. Spilled the beans to Game Informer in early 2022 but didn’t say much else. Curious, right? Makes one think about what else he’s got hidden up his sleeve.