It's hard to believe that it's almost been ten years since ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley came to PC and reshaped the video game landscape forever. That claim might sound a bit hyperbolic, but when you look at how many copycats have been produced over the years and how the “cozy genre” has exploded in popularity since then, it feels extremely justified.
Not to mention triple-A experiences like Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth have created entirely optional modes inspired by Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, as major studios had come to understand how satisfying and more enjoyable the act of tending to a growing farm while maintaining adorable fictional relationships can be. Eric Barone may have intended to create a comprehensive love letter to Harvest Moon, but the finished product has long outgrown that definition. A benchmark in itself.
And yet, even in a sea of innovative and experimental sequels, Stardew Valley remains at the top. It's the farming sim we keep going back to again and again, thanks not only to its excellent gameplay, incredible music, and lovable characters, but also to a community that continues to bring it to life again and again through extensive mod support. Not to mention that ConcernedApe continues to release updates and shows little sign of leaving this game behind in favor of other projects.
When will Stardew Valley stop receiving updates?
After the reveal of Haunted Chocolatier – which still doesn't have a release window at the time of writing – back in 2021, many of us expected Stardew Valley to gradually fade into the background. It might get some quality of life updates along the way, but as far as new major content reductions go, that was it. Oh, how wrong we were.
Stardew Valley also received a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 version earlier this year, available to existing Switch owners as a free upgrade.
Chocolatier received a couple of light updates in the years that followed, mostly that it was still a work in progress and not much else could be said, but Barone made it clear that he still intended to continue working on Stardew Valley until he felt completely satisfied. Since then, it has received several major updates that introduce everything from brand new content to small bug fixes to quality of life additions.
With each patch, it becomes an increasingly ambitious game. It wouldn't be surprising if these updates continue forever, at least in some form, even as new projects become Barone's core focus. And judging by the loyal audience it commands and the excitement for each new piece of news, the players don't mind either.
Speaking to IGN as part of a wide-ranging 10th anniversary interview, Barone talked about what to expect from the long-awaited 1.7 update, which, judging by this brief tease, could be one of its most extensive additions yet:
“I try not to reveal too much because I like it to be a surprise,” Barone explained. “What I will say without maybe being too specific is that with this update, one of the things we're trying to do is… Well, there's a popular request from fans, dealing with the kids, trying to make the kids a little bit more interesting.
“So I'm trying to do something about it, but there's a lot of other stuff in the update as well that nobody's really asked for, but I think people will appreciate it. I'll add two more marriage candidates, but I'll reveal who it is on the anniversary.”
This is a huge development, considering players have been asking for additional marriage candidates for years now. You can add your own relationships and dialogue with mods, of course, but the last official romance additions were Shane and Emily back in update 1.1.
That has kicked off a flurry of theories about who these new candidates could be, and whether they are existing characters or perhaps even new characters moving into Pelican Town. We'll have to wait and find out, but this changing landscape makes me want to jump in for another playthrough for the first time in years, and I just know it's going to feel like a brand new game all over again.
Why Stardew Valley Will Live On Forever
Despite being far from original in its basic concept, Stardew Valley managed to build on so many excellent mechanical ideas first introduced by Harvest Moon and develop them into something more satisfying, unpredictable and engrossing. It became the benchmark for a genre that in the years since its arrival has become a household name.
Having first played the likes of Coral Island, Rune Factory 5, Fields of Mistria and so many others, my baseline starts and ends with Stardew Valley. How do they innovate on this formula, and is there enough within them to justify finally walking away from the great man who started it all?
Right now, while I can't tear myself away from Fields of Mistria on Steam Deck and spend so many hours on Coral Island trying to romance mermaids, I don't think any game has actually managed to top Stardew Valley. Millions of people have developed such a warm, familiar nostalgia for ConcernedApe's masterpiece that I can't see it going away anytime soon, especially as extensive updates continue to be delivered.
Whenever it falls, Stardew re-enters the zeitgeist. And with Haunted Chocolatier becoming the core focus of ConcernedApe, I have no doubt that there will be constant comparisons to how it builds on and subverts the formula that its predecessors undoubtedly mastered.
But most of all, even when you consider that Stardew Valley has made millions in profit and is a far cry from the tiny indie game it started as, there's still something oddly small and humble about its continued evolution. Barone gives off the feel of someone brainstorming ideas with a small team and taking the time to get them right. And even if they fall short, fans will embrace them and take things to the moon anyway.
In an industry where so many big developers and publishers try to drag us into “forever games” designed to drain every ounce of time and money we have, Stardew Valley has defined itself with a different kind of immortality.
Stardew Valley
- Released
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February 26, 2016
- ESRB
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E for All (fantasy violence, mild blood, mild language, simulated gambling, use of alcohol and tobacco)
- Developer
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Worried Ape
- Publisher
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Worried Ape
