Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone "assumed people wouldn't like Pierre," but thinks he's "not as bad as some people think"

Stardew Valley creator Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone didn't think the life sim's most-hated character would be quite as unpopular as he is because, according to the developer, Pierre's not as awful as some fans make out.

There's a running joke (sometimes not a joke) in the community about how darn insufferable Pelican Town's local shop owner Pierre can be. For one, he makes some questionable comments during his daughter Abigail's questline. He's also hiding a 'secret stash' from his wife that you can confront him about. And perhaps his worst sin of all? He closes shop every Wednesday.

But in an interview with PC Gamer, Barone defends the hard-working dad who does his best to keep his small business open amid megacorp Joja Mart's expansion.

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"I assumed people wouldn't like Pierre, but I didn't realize the extend to which they would hate Pierre," Barone said. "And, I think, I kind of advocate for Pierre a little bit. I think he's not as bad as some people think. I mean, he does, after all - well, I don't want to spoil it - but he plays a crucial role in the community center path, you know, at the end of the game."

Barone's of course referring to the cutscene that plays if you decide to rebuild the community center instead of siding with Joja Mart to turn it into a warehouse. That's a conflict Barone regrets making so "black and white," as he said if he could rewind time, he'd add a little bit more "nuance" to the storyline.

ConcernedApe regrets making Stardew Valley's fishing minigame "too hard" when you start out, but still thinks it's good overall: "I know it's controversial"