Stardew Valley 1.7 update sounds like it'll be as big as the farming sim's last, with ConcernedApe hinting at social features, a new farm type, and "lots more"

Stardew Valley mastermind Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone recently unveiled a 1.7 update for his 2016 farming sim, but a few months have passed without any solid word on what it might contain – until now, that is.

In a surprising new reply to a fan asking for any hints about 1.7 "or a sneak peek," the iconic solo developer provides a little bit of insight – although, of course, nothing will be enough for us hungry Stardew Valley stans if we're honest. "There will be some more character/social stuff, " writes ConcernedApe. "It's also traditional to add a new farm type. Lots more, but I don't want to reveal much yet." I'm personally grateful we got a reveal at all.

The 1.6 update isn't all that old itself, having arrived just a little over a year ago now, so I'm sure there's still a good bit of time before we actually see 1.7 come to fruition – heck, the dev himself said that "it's going to be a while" before it's ready in September – but knowing for certain that it's not so minor makes it all the more exciting. A new farm type is sort of a big deal, after all, and the "character/social stuff" has me intrigued.

Could we see new events between characters come to Stardew Valley? The last huge patch brought the Desert Festival, so perhaps there's something akin to that in the works? It feels hard to top 1.6 and other past updates, but considering how good they've all gotten over time, I'd wager 1.7 will impress the community. It's not the only project ConcernedApe is tackling currently, either – Haunted Chocolatier is underway, too.

In fact, the dev previously told fans that while 1.7 wouldn't "hinder" his work on Haunted Chocolatier necessarily, it still might delay it "a little" in the grand scheme of things – so he's clearly quite a busy man at the moment. Between his Stardew Valley update and what might just be one of the most hotly anticipated new games in the simulation scene, there's plenty to get done… and plenty for us to look forward to as fans.

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe will "announce something very soon" on the farming sim's Switch 2 edition: "Sorry about the long wait."