The most painful part of ConcernedApe’s sophomore projectHaunted Chocolatieris the lack of information regarding a release date. The game is expected to build off the foundations laid by its predecessor,the massively popularStardew Valley, by adhering to its various aesthetic and gameplay facets while incorporating bold new narrative and mechanical elements.
This is a naturally compelling prospect forStardew Valleyfans, especially those who have exhausted the game’s content in the eight years since its release. Indeed, the low-stakes, micromanaging gameplay ofStardewessentially set a new gold standard for the cozy and life simulation genres, soHaunted Chocolatierhas some big shoes to fill. With a number of indie games, including high-profile ones likeHades 2, launching into early access ahead of their full release, some may be getting their hopes up forHaunted Chocolatierto follow suit, thus alleviating the excruciating wait for theStardewsuccessor. But while anything is possible, the chances of this happening seem relatively low.
In a now-archived interview withMVC/Develop, Eric Barone AKA ConcernedApe touches on the history ofStardew Valley’s development. He expresses his relief at connecting withindie publisher Chucklefish, specifically because it helped him move forward without falling back on early access.
Barone says “it seemed like nearly every indie game was doing Early Access at the time,” but that the strategy didn’t seem like the right fit forStardew Valley, which was less of an open-ended sandbox experience and more of a curated life sim with limited freedom and progression elements. On this subject, Barone also conveys that he didn’t wantStardewto feel like an unfinished product, saying that he could sense a growing mistrust from consumers at the time who were becoming disillusioned with the early access model.
Based on these statements, it’s fair to say that Barone holds his games to a high standard—something that should be obvious to anyone followingStardew Valley’s substantial post-launch updates. With this attention to detail and emphasis on quality, regardless of the time it takes to achieve it, it makes sense that Barone would shy away from something like early access or an open beta, as it would mean showing the public an imperfect version of his project.
Plenty of indie games that succeed in early access, but it’s definitely not the right route for every developer.
Haunted Chocolatier Skipping Early Access Could Be Bittersweet
Assuming that Barone still feels the same way he did when developingStardew Valley, it seems improbable thatHaunted Chocolatierwill enjoy an early access period. This may be disappointing for the less patient gamers out there, especially since it’s stillunclear whenChocolatierwill actually launch, but there are a lot of advantages to waiting for a full, feature-complete release as well.
To Barone’s point, a game likeStardew Valleymay not have worked well in early access, as a lot of that game’s magic comes down to the richness and variety of its features, especially as they pertain to narrative and NPC development, which requires playing for long periods of time. SinceHaunted Chocolatierwill have at least a bit in common withStardew, it could run the risk of feeling underwhelming in early access, potentially dampening the impact of its full, 1.0 reveal.
Then again, Barone could have changed his tune on early access, especially after supportingStardew Valleywith so much post-launch support. In other words, his notion of what a “complete” game looks like could be different now. Plus, the game would certainly be able to get a lot of funding in early access, consideringStardew’s prestige, so anything is possible.
Haunted Chocolatier
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Haunted Chocolatier is an upcoming adventure game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). The game is currently set to feature a lush explorable world, chocolate making and cooking, a spooky theme, and more. There is currently no release date or time period for the game.
