Stardew Valley's creator doesn't think he'll ever "officially close the book" on the farming sim

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1.6 might not be the last update for Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley multiplayer
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)

The creator of Stardew Valley has teased the future of the farming sim, and revealed he doesn't think he'll ever "officially close the book" on the game.

In an interview with Polygon, Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone talked about the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, and whether this was the game's last big refresh - considering the developer is currently working on several other projects. "I feel like I'm the boy who cried wolf because I've said [this is the last update] many times myself and I always end up making another Stardew Valley update," Barone told the outlet. 

"So it's like, I'll just say, who knows? I don't think I'll ever officially close the book. The book is always open." It's been eight years since ConcernedApe launched Stardew Valley, and we've had many updates in that time. The developer has said he continues to work on the farming sim as it's his "life's work." All of this hard work is paying off, as Stardew Valley has sold 30 million copies, and is "thriving more than ever." 

It's been an incredibly busy few weeks for ConcernedApe: Not only is the Stardew Valley Concert currently touring around the world - where the developer recently made a surprise appearance at its New York stop and revealed his childhood dream of becoming a composer - but the Stardew Valley 1.6 update release date has also been revealed as arriving later this month. 

We've had plenty of teasers about the new content coming to the life sim, including that a new save file is recommended for Stardew Valley 1.6 "to see everything in context," and some fans have even gone as far as predicting a new location coming to the game. Shortly after the release date announcement, fans started debating whether update 1.6 will introduce an island filled with raccoons.

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.