Eric ‘Concerned Ape’ Baron returns to Stardew Valley after stopping ghost chocolatier dev

Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone is pausing development on the cool-looking Haunted Chocolatier to return to the tools of Stardew Valley, starting construction on the 1.6 update of the all-consuming farm-and-life management sim. This update will make life considerably easier for the modding community on PC, but new game content is also promised, which is a nice treat for those of us on console.

Barron is one of those hopelessly talented individuals who are seemingly capable of excelling in everything they turn their hand to. Famously, he won the respect and admiration of gamers of all stripes by creating Stardew Valley, a stone-cold modern classic and one of the best games of all time, almost entirely by himself.

He worked on the project as the sole designer, programmer, animator, artist, composer and writer. The endeavor took him four and a half years, working 10 hours a day and seven days a week. Barron was handsomely rewarded for his hard work; At last count, Stardew Valley has shipped over 20 million copies across all platforms, and the advantage of not having a partner is that you don’t have to split the earnings. We prefer our sleep, honestly, and will likely never become millionaires due to that fact, but we digress.

Are you looking forward to Haunted Chocolatier? How much of your life did you miss from Stardew Valley? Reap what you sow in the comments section below.