Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Haunted Chocolatier character jumping over bridge over a river
Simulation Games "I am not going to abandon Haunted Chocolatier," says Stardew Valley's Eric Barone
Haunted Chocolatier: a screenshot of a player standing in a dark house.
RPGs Haunted Chocolatier: Everything we know about the Stardew Valley creator's next game
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Simulation Games Expectations for Haunted Chocolatier are "a huge struggle" for Eric Barone, who worries people expect Stardew Valley 2
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Simulation Games Stardew Valley 2 was in the works at one point, says Eric Barone, and he'd still love to make it happen
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone still feels "like an amateur" even with nearly 50 million copies sold
Stardew Valley
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe wants to make the farming sim "infinitely replayable" – but "without the use of AI"
Stardew Valley Sandy
Simulation Games Stardew Valley 1.7 update will add "2 more marriage candidates," and fans theorize they could be anyone in the farm sim
Stardew Valley goblin
Simulation Games ConcernedApe reveals he "completely scrapped" Stardew Valley goblin villages, and fans "just want" the axed feature now
Stardew Valley Abigail
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator donates $125,000 with a "monthly commitment" to open-source framework his hit farming sim uses
Stardew Valley grandpa sleeping
Simulation Games Stardew Valley fan recreates wait for Haunted Chocolatier by sleeping for 1,000 years in the farming sim
Stardew Valley
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator "wanted the mines to be like Terraria," but it was way "too ambitious" in the end
Stardew Valley
Simulation Games Stardew Valley patch finally stops unruly Switch 2 port from stealing precious inventory items while crafting
Stardew Valley berry
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator went through it 6 months before launch, and the game didn't come together until "the last moment"
An early build of Stardew Valley shows the player character holding a tool over a dry plot of land
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator reveals 14-year-old footage of Sprout Valley, a technically "functioning game"
Stardew Valley Robin
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator announces 10-year anniversary video with "pre-release footage" and "new 1.7 marriage candidates"
  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"

News
By Jordan Gerblick published 4 September 2025

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

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Stardew Valley character known as Elliott, a man with long auburn hair and a red coat
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
2
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

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.

You may like
  • Haunted Chocolatier character jumping over bridge over a river "I am not going to abandon Haunted Chocolatier," says Stardew Valley's Eric Barone
  • Haunted Chocolatier: a screenshot of a player standing in a dark house. Haunted Chocolatier: Everything we know about the Stardew Valley creator's next game
  • Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm Expectations for Haunted Chocolatier are "a huge struggle" for Eric Barone, who worries people expect Stardew Valley 2

"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."

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.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

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

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Xbox Series X PS5 Nintendo Switch 2 Platforms Xbox PlayStation Nintendo
PRODUCTS
Stardew Valley Haunted Chocolatier
Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

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.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Haunted Chocolatier character jumping over bridge over a river
Simulation Games "I am not going to abandon Haunted Chocolatier," says Stardew Valley's Eric Barone
 
 
Haunted Chocolatier: a screenshot of a player standing in a dark house.
RPGs Haunted Chocolatier: Everything we know about the Stardew Valley creator's next game
 
 
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Simulation Games Expectations for Haunted Chocolatier are "a huge struggle" for Eric Barone, who worries people expect Stardew Valley 2
 
 
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Simulation Games Stardew Valley 2 was in the works at one point, says Eric Barone, and he'd still love to make it happen
 
 
Stardew Valley character Haley, a blonde young woman with long wavy hair and bright blue eyes, against a blurred backdrop of a farm
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone still feels "like an amateur" even with nearly 50 million copies sold
 
 
Stardew Valley
Simulation Games Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe wants to make the farming sim "infinitely replayable" – but "without the use of AI"
 
 
Latest in Simulation Games
Wonders of Sodor
Simulation Games Train sim sickos push new Thomas the Tank Engine game to breaking point, shattering world records
 
 
A widescreen image of the Animal Crossing PC port
Animal Crossing Unofficial Animal Crossing PC port is here, offering a widescreen 4K experience
 
 
Garry's Mod
Simulation Games Garry's Mod creator expected to only "make about $30,000" on the sandbox game
 
 
Jujutsu Kaisen Incremental codes
Simulation Games Jujutsu Kaisen Incremental codes (March 2026) and how to redeem them for free rerolls
 
 
Sorcerer Incremental codes: A white-haired ninja.
Simulation Games Sorcerer Incremental codes (March 2026) for weapon rolls and more
 
 
Fruit Piece Incremental codes
Simulation Games Fruit Piece Incremental codes (March 2026) and how to redeem them for free Beli, Scrolls, Rolls, and more
 
 
Latest in News
Palworld
Survival Games "We have no desire to be a media empire," says Palworld publishing head but Pocketpair would be stupid to let it die out
 
 
Protagonist Jordan in a screenshot from the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The Last of Us Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
 
 
A screenshot of the Adoring Fan seen in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.
The Elder Scrolls Todd Howard says Oblivion leaks didn't help Bethesda or players: "Everyone is gonna have a different version"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 devs respond to the flurry of negative Steam reviews: "No change is necessarily permanent"
 
 
Crimson Desert
Open World Games "My dream game": After 7 hours, Palworld publishing lead delivers his Crimson Desert verdict: "This game is made for me"
 
 
Zoomed-in, cropped box art for Pokemon FireRed shows Charizard roaring.
Pokemon "The biggest time save in nearly a decade of Pokemon speedrunning" has been discovered in FireRed
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Palworld
    1
    "We have no desire to be a media empire," says Palworld publishing head but Pocketpair would be stupid to let it die out
  2. 2
    Neil Druckmann's teasing the return of a The Last of Us actor in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
  3. 3
    Todd Howard says Oblivion leaks didn't help Bethesda or players: "Everyone is gonna have a different version"
  4. 4
    Slay the Spire 2 devs respond to the flurry of negative Steam reviews: "No change is necessarily permanent"
  5. 5
    The new Warhammer Custodes look amazing, but my god, I wish they were easier to build

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...