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