Stardew Valley fans risk their title as "the most wholesome gaming community" after ConcernedApe's past homewrecker comments see them hoping the 1.7 update ends in a virtual divorce

(Image credit: ConcernedApe)

Stardew Valley is nearing its massive 10th anniversary, and developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has treated us with a teaser about the 1.7 update and its two new marriage candidates – but without concrete evidence on who they could be, the fandom is going wild.

Guesses have been all over the place, ranging from more ridiculous theories like Mr. Qi to some genuinely possible suggestions, including Clint and Sandy – but the one that has left me the most shocked has to be this idea that stems from a statement ConcernedApe made during the Tiger Belly podcast last year. Put simply, it revolves around NPCs Demetrius and Robin divorcing, like, canonically… because of the player.

"I immediately thought of this with the announcement that ConcernedApe is adding two new marriage candidates," the poster writes – and fellow players are running with it. As one so eloquently exclaims in the comments, "Daddy Demetrius, here I come!"

ConcernedApe talking about wanting to make Robin and Demetrius romanceable by allowing the player to break them up. from r/StardewValley

They're sticking to it so much so, in fact, that they're calling for other NPCs to divorce, too. "I wish we could break Caroline and Pierre up," somebody replies, and they're not alone. I'm seeing various calls for Caroline to ditch Pierre, either to marry the player or… the wizard? You know what, valid, I guess.

Not everyone is on board with the whole homewrecking thing, though. Plenty of folks think it kills the whole "cozy" vibe.

"Y'all be like, 'Stardew Valley is my cozy game! It's how I relax and escape the negativity of the real world,' and then proceed to break up two sets of happily married couples, steal and wear the mayor's underwear, and hate the blacksmith with an unwavering passion," as one fan puts it.

Another similarly states, "I thought this was supposed to be the most wholesome gaming community." Hey, two things can be true at once, right?

I'm not sure I personally believe that this whole Demetrius and Robin situation will play out like ConcernedApe's hypothetical town-destroying scenario (as much as I wish it would), so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for two brand-new NPCs instead.

Stardew Valley still has "a secret that no one has ever found" after 10 years, but ConcernedApe says it "reveals something that actually isn't even true anymore"

CATEGORIES

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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.