Stardew Valley Creator "Not Too Concerned" Over Pressure On Haunted Chocolatier

thegamer.com:

Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has explained his feelings about his next big project, Haunted Chocolatier, saying that he's "not too concerned" about the pressure of following up on Stardew Valley.

There aren't many games out there right now as big as Stardew Valley, which is impressive when you consider it was conceptualized and developed almost entirely by one man and has maintained its popularity for well over 8 years. Creator Eric Barone is adored by fans of the title, and he works rather tirelessly to continuously update and improve Stardew Valley year in year out, so much so that he's having trouble leaving it all behind for his next project.

Haunted Chocolatier was announced back in 2021, and we've heard very little about it from Barone himself, who is choosing to keep his cards close to his chest and only reveal new details when he's good and ready. With the years rolling by and people possibly beginning to get a little impatient, the pressure for Barone to give us an update will keep growing and growing, but he's recently explained in an interview with Aftermath that he's "not too concerned" about all the pressure.

In the interview, Barone admits that while the expectation from fans does add a little bit of pressure, but that he's "not too concerned" about it because he considers Haunted Chocolatier as more of a personal project:

When it's ready, that's when I'll release it. I'm not too concerned with the pressure. I don't feel like I owe anyone anything when it comes to Haunted Chocolatier . It's a game that I'm deciding to make. I don't need to make it."

He is perfectly correct too, as Barone is likely a very wealthy man thanks to the success of Stardew Valley, one of the most successful and beloved indie games of all time. Barone could probably retire tomorrow and be set for life, but it's clear that he still loves game development and his work on Haunted Chocolatier is proof of that. Sure, Barone will probably like it if