Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone is working on his second game, although it doesn’t appear to be Stardew Valley 2.
As Stardew Valley’s multiplayer beta rapidly approaches, creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has an announcement: His next game is already in development.
In a tweet from Monday, Barone celebrated Stardew Valley’s two-year anniversary by thanking the game’s fans for “joining me on this journey.” And he also took the opportunity to open up about his upcoming plans for his next title, as well as future projects.
“With MP close, my next (secret) game in the works, and more… there’s lots to look forward to,” Barone tweeted.
Barone is keeping details to himself on his next game, but a Reddit AMA with the developer from October 2017 provides a couple hints. For one, don’t expect Barone to create a sequel to Stardew Valley. He said he would consider creating Stardew Valley 2 “eventually,” but “not for a bit.”
That said, while a sequel probably isn’t in the works, Barone prefers games that have a “magical, pure, idealistic, even cartoony or innocent, approach” over “dark, realistic, and gritty” games. So expect his next game to have a similar tone to Stardew Valley—unless he wants to go down the Doki Doki Literature Club route, that is.
Lastly, Barone may end up returning to the Stardew Valley universe, even if he doesn’t head back to Pelican Town quite yet. In one AMA reply, he hinted that his next game will “expand” on the Stardew Valley world’s lore, and that it will take place on “the same planet.” So at the very least, it looks like Barone is interested in expanding the Stardew Valley universe beyond a single title.
In the meantime, Stardew Valley’s publisher is currently working on a new magical school sim game called Spellbound, which combines a JRPG aesthetic with a Harry Potter-esque world. There’s no new information on that game quite yet, but early screenshots suggest it will take on a similar wholesome tone as Stardew Valley.
Published: Feb 28, 2018 01:15 am