ConcernedApe, aka game developer Eric Barone, has confirmed he’s currently “knee-deep” in development of new game Haunted Chocolatier, with a “vertical slice” being a current core focus. Speaking to PC Gamer, Barone provided a fairly meaty update about this game, speculating that he might eventually need to “go to a cabin the woods and completely get off the internet” for two years to get the game ready for the public.
As a solo developer, Barone mostly works alone – and that means wearing many hats, including serving players of Stardew Valley, and ensuring that game “does well” even without incoming content. Recently, the major 1.6 update for Stardew Valley was released, and while this was planned to be the end, for now, a enduring passion for this game has Barone frequently being pulled back into development.
“I do love Stardew Valley and I care about the fans and I want the fans to have a great experience,” Barone said. “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.”
Regardless of this pull, Barone sounds determined to push on with Haunted Chocolatier. He’s currently chipping away at the game’s vertical slice, and working to refine its direction. While the process is complicated by a need to revisit early parts of the game and make them better – thanks to a long development cycle with plenty of learning along the way – Barone is trying to “stay relaxed and stress free” to ensure the game is developed with care.
Read: New look at Haunted Chocolatier incites Stardew Valley crossover theories
“It’s been a few years that I’ve been working on it now and it’s like, I look at some of the stuff I did at the beginning and I’m like, ‘Oh man, here we go again. I’m gonna have to redo all of this,'” Barone told PC Gamer. “It’s not it’s not like it’s even bad, it’s just – part of the problem of being, like especially a solo dev, is it takes so long to make a game.”
“I’m literally a different person in four years, so it’s like my whole feelings about everything have changed. My aesthetic sensibilities have evolved.”
This process of iteration may be slowing down development overall, but at the very least, it’s good to know Barone is now pressing on with Haunted Chocolatier. The game was first announced way back in 2021, with the first images sparking plenty of excitement about how the game would expand on the Stardew Valley formula. Since then, there’s been a clamour to learn more – but as Barone makes clear, patience is needed, and will likely still be needed in the years to come.
With plenty of work ahead, Barone is now knuckling down, but it’ll likely still be some time before we see more of Haunted Chocolatier.
