Stardew Valley has no microtransactions because its creator, Eric Barone, chose this on purpose. He cares more about players than money. “I just genuinely value the love of the players more than the money that I could squeeze out of everyone. I just know that that would not bring me as much happiness as being beloved by the community. So it’s like, to me, it’s kind of a no-brainer. You might even call it selfish, because I’m really doing what is going to make me the happiest. You know, you can either chase the dollar or you can chase the respect and admiration of the community. And [chasing the community] is just what I prefer. That makes me feel better than having money.” Because of this, Stardew Valley is a one-time buy with no paid DLC or in-game purchases. All six big updates since 2016 have been free Barone has said he will keep future updates and any new games free of these things too. Barone shows that putting the community first can create one of the most loved games ever, most of the game companys constantly try to make extra money from players

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe has said he will not add cheating or affair options to the game. He says they are too serious and do not fit the fun, relaxing feel, even though he once discussed what might happen if you cheated, such as the town turning against you or causing family problems. He is also unlikely to add breakups for the couples already in the game because it would require too many changes to the stories and conversations. He is currently working on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier.

ConcernedApe says Haunted Chocolatier is for Stardew Valley players who love exploring the mines. The creator of Stardew Valley says his next game will focus more on action RPG gameplay, with more adventuring, equipment to find, stronger characters, monsters and boss fights. “It’s for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines. That’s what I do, honestly,” While Haunted Chocolatier will still have a town to explore, combat and progression will play a much bigger role than in Stardew Valley. He says he won’t compromise on quality just to get the game out sooner. “No one’s playing the game until I’m ready to show it.”

Haunted Chocolatier is set to be ‘way bigger than Stardew Valley’ according to a new interview. Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone said Haunted Chocolatier will be much bigger than Stardew Valley. He is working on it five days a week while finishing the latest Stardew Valley update. It is his new solo game: a life simulation and role-playing game where you play as a chocolate maker who lives in and runs a shop inside a haunted castle. >Crafting and selling chocolates >Real-time combat against monsters and ghosts >Exploring multiple realms/maps for resources >Interacting with quirky townsfolk (romance is in, apparently) >Managing your shop and castle There is still no release date, as Barone says the game will come out when it is completely ready.

John ‘Bucky’ Buckley from Palworld developer Pocketpair says a game shouldn’t stop being indie just because it gets help from an outside publisher. He says that games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Stardew Valley shouldn’t lose their indie status simply because external publishers helped promote them. “Creative control is king,” what really matters is whether devs have the freedom to make their own creative decisions.