ConcernedApe Checks In on Haunted Chocolatier: Still No Date, but He Already Enjoys Playing It

Nearly five years have passed since Eric Barone, better known as ConcernedApe, revealed Haunted Chocolatier to the world, and the question of when we might actually play it has become something of a running joke among Stardew Valley fans. This weekend the developer answered it again, in his own way, with a short post on the game's official site titled simply "checking in."

The short version: the game is alive, he is working on it, and there is still no release date. Barone opens the post by reassuring readers that he is "still here, still making progress," then apologizes for how long the wait has been. It is the third such update this year, following posts in late January and late June, so the cadence has settled into a check-in roughly every couple of months.

Video: ConcernedApe on YouTube

What the update actually says

Beyond the reassurance, the post is mostly a window into how Barone thinks about the project. He says he has been very productive on Haunted Chocolatier lately despite juggling many other commitments, and that of everything on his plate, this is the work he feels most eager and driven to do. Those other commitments are real: Stardew Valley's 1.7 update, announced last year, is still in the pipeline, and his official blog has addressed that project too.

He is equally clear about what he will not do. Rushing the game out early, in his view, would waste all the time he has already put in, so quality wins over speed, full stop. The most encouraging line for anyone tired of waiting is his admission that he already enjoys playing the game in its unfinished state, particularly after some recent additions he made. He does not say what those additions are, which is very on brand.

The post ends on a self-aware note. Barone admits he feels a little embarrassed writing updates like this, guessing that fans just want the game rather than more words about it, and he thanks the people who keep the faith through the long stretch.

Our take

There is no news here in the traditional sense, and we think that is exactly the point. Barone built Stardew Valley alone over four and a half years, shipped it into a genre nobody thought had room left, and it became one of the best selling games ever made. His track record has earned the slow pace. A developer telling you the unfinished build is already fun is worth more than a marketing date that slips three times, and we would rather wait for the former. If you need a cozy fix in the meantime, Disney Dreamlight Valley has a whole Keepsake Sea expansion on the way, pirate and all.