Stardew Valley Dev Working On Two New Games - But Don't Get Too Excited Yet
Stardew Valley has become one of the most popular indie games of the generation, so naturally, people are wondering what's next for the game's creator, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone. As it turns out, in addition to continuing work on Stardew Valley, Barone has been working on two other games, one of which is set in the Stardew Valley universe. While that's certainly an exciting thing to hear, Barone is asking fans not to get too hyped for these new projects just yet.
In response to a curious fan on Twitter, Barone said that he is indeed working on a couple of new projects. "One takes place in the world of Stardew Valley, but is not a farming game. The other, I'm not 100% sure about the world yet, but it will tie into Stardew Valley in some way," he wrote.
Yes, I'm actually working on a couple of new projects. One takes place in the world of Stardew Valley, but is not a farming game. The other, I'm not 100% sure about the world yet, but it will tie into Stardew Valley in some way
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 11, 2020
In a follow up tweet, Barone urged fans to temper their expectations. "I see this is blowing up and there are articles coming out, etc.... all I ask is please don't get too hyped at this stage. I was to avoid too much hype or speculation. I'd like to just make whatever game comes naturally to me without too much pressure or expectation." In yet another follow-up tweet, Barone said that he's "not setting out to make the next indie smash hit," but rather just a game that he's happy with.
I'm not setting out to make the next indie smash hit, I just want to make another game that I enjoy and am happy with. And to share some of my art & ideas with the world. If it becomes popular, I will be happy, but it's not my focus
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 11, 2020
That's all he posted to Twitter, but he also shared more about these titles in an email exchange with IGN. It sounds like the first game he described – the one that's set in the Stardew Valley world – is further along in development, with Barone saying that the concept is mostly finished in his head. He also said that his goal for this game is "to surpass the quality of every aspect compared to Stardew Valley... art, music, sound, narratives, etc."
While he's confident that he's been meeting that goal so far, he also says that there's thousands of hours of work ahead of him to turn this game into a finished product, so we'll probably be waiting some time before we learn what this mystery project is. The second game he's working on seems to be at a much earlier stage in the development process, with Barone describing it as "just a little thing to have fun with."
Add to that his workload with updating Stardew Valley, and it sounds like Barone is thinking in the long term, telling IGN that he's "thinking about what games I might release 'this decade.'" So, it's definitely a good idea to heed Barone's warning and avoid getting too hyped in this instance, because it's clear that he's taking his time in making these follow-up projects. We'll let you know when he shares more, so stay tuned.