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  1. Games
  2. Simulation Games

Eric Barone says he wants to "take a more 'creative director' role" on Stardew Valley 1.7 so that he can "focus the vast majority" of his attention on Haunted Chocolatier, but he'll eventually have to spend more time on his "1st game"

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By Jordan Gerblick published 4 September 2025

"I need my hand to touch every piece of new content"

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Stardew Valley character known as Elliott, a man with long auburn hair and a red coat
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)
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Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone says he's trying to take on more of a creative director role on the recently unveiled 1.7 update so that he can focus his time on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier.

Over on the official Haunted Chocolatier website, Barone answered some of the most burning questions from the Stardew community on 1.7 and how it could potentially impact Haunted Chocolatier, and he admitted it might cause "a little" delay in the latter's development, but "not as much as you might think."

Another noteworthy tidbit from the Q&A is the apparent suggestion from Barone that he's taking a slightly less hands-on approach to making Stardew's 1.7 update, opting to entrust his small team of developers with developing the update under his creative direction.

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"Unlike the previous updates (in which I was fully, personally locked-in on content development the whole time), with 1.7 I have been trying to take more of a 'creative director' role in the team, so that (at least for now) I can focus the vast majority of my attention on Haunted Chocolatier," Barone said.

While he said this approach has been going "pretty good" so far - saying, "we are working at a relaxed pace, we have a ton of ideas, and everything has been high quality" - he also said he'll eventually "have to spend a little more time focused on Stardew Valley, because in order for me to maintain a full connection to the game, I need my hand to touch every piece of new content."

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  • Haunted Chocolatier character jumping over bridge over a river Haunted Chocolatier's "way bigger than Stardew Valley" says ConcernedApe: "Everything is cranked up"
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Barone added, "And there are some aspects of content development which I insist on doing myself, like the music."

Barone has previously said he won't reveal or even make any estimates about Stardew Valley 1.7, and likewise, it definitely seems like Haunted Chocolatier is still years away from releasing.

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Thankfully, we've compiled a list of the best farming sims to keep you busy in the meantime.

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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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