Stardew Valley creator says the game's name "just came to me," after the original "was not pleasant to say"

(Image credit: Chucklefish)

Stardew Valley's creator has revealed the original name for his smash success farming sim, which changed because it was apparently "not pleasant to say."

Stardew Valley's title is pretty simple, named after the titular community that houses our various farms, spouses, and unknowing arch-rivals. "It just came to me," says Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone when asked about the name's inspiration on the community's Discord. Though, in a different time and potentially in a different universe, the game had a slightly different name.

"The game used to be called Sprout Valley," he continues, "but the word Sprout was not pleasant to say." Sprout definitely is a fun word to say and kinda explains what you're doing in-game (sprouting stuff), but who am I to argue with the farm man? Sprout-likes don't hold the same appeal as Stardew-likes either, I imagine. All's well that ends well, I guess.

The game formerly known as Sprout Valley is now gearing up for its big 1.6 update coming this year, which plans to add pets wearing hats, fortunes, and a big New Year event complete with fireworks. Barone recommends starting a new save file to see absolutely everything in the update, after which point, he'll be returning to work on Haunted Chocolatier, his next life sim mash-up about ghosts running a chocolate shop. What a pitch!

In the meantime, see what else is on the horizon with our upcoming indies of 2024 and beyond guide.

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.