Haunted Chocolatier's World Size to Match Stardew Valley

Haunted Chocolatier, the highly anticipated follow-up title from *Stardew Valley* creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, is shaping up to be an expansive experience. As revealed in a June 11 social media post, the game's world will surpass that of *Stardew Valley* in size—a bold statement considering the latter’s already vast and immersive environment. While exact details about how much bigger it will be remain under wraps, development is clearly progressing steadily.

In an interview with PC Gamer at the 2025 Game Developers Conference, Barone opened up about the challenges of balancing his time between both projects. He admitted that his deep connection to *Stardew Valley* often pulls him away from fully focusing on *Haunted Chocolatier*. “I do love Stardew Valley and I care about the fans and I want the fans to have a great experience,” he explained. “So I'm always concerned with Stardew Valley and making sure that it's doing well, and that pulls me away from devoting all my time to Haunted Chocolatier.”

Much of 2024 was spent fine-tuning *Stardew Valley*’s massive 1.6 update, which has now launched across PC and consoles. With that patch settled—aside from minor ongoing fixes and console ports—Barone has committed to shifting his full attention to *Haunted Chocolatier*. “The 1.6 update is pretty settled at this point… I'm committed to not working on Stardew Valley until I'm done with Haunted Chocolatier,” he said confidently, adding, “I think it's in a good place. I feel very solid about it.”

Expectations for the Future

While Barone remains deeply attached to *Stardew Valley*, he confirmed during a January conversation with Nintendo Life that his focus is firmly on completing *Haunted Chocolatier* before returning to any new work on his farming sim classic. That said, future updates for *Stardew Valley* may still arrive once *Haunted Chocolatier* reaches completion.

Potential Release Window

When asked by comedian Bobby Lee on the Tiger Belly podcast whether *Haunted Chocolatier* could release within the next five years, Barone responded with a hopeful but noncommittal “I hope so.” Despite the lighthearted frustration this caused among fans, Barone clarified that what they’ve seen in trailers and gameplay snippets is more polished than the current state of the game, jokingly referring to it as “Hollywood Magic.”

First announced in October 2021 with a teaser trailer and official website, *Haunted Chocolatier* has been in development for several years. The game is currently being built for PC, though Barone has expressed interest in bringing it to additional platforms in the future. Fans can look forward to a rich, expansive world that promises to build upon the legacy of *Stardew Valley* while introducing fresh mechanics and a unique setting centered around magical chocolate-making and cooperative multiplayer adventures.