Haunted Chocolatier: ConcernedApe's next big step

Eric Barone's new project, better known as ConcernedApe, titled Haunted Chocolatier, is still in active development. The game, billed as an indirect sequel to the hugely successful Stardew Valley, has a lot to live up to. Barone recently revealed how much time he actually spends on the game, offering some important details about its progress and his ambitious plans.

Active development and work hours

ConcernedApe is currently working on Haunted Chocolatier five days a week, while the remaining two days are dedicated to ongoing updates for Stardew Valley. This split workload is a challenge for Barone, who says development on Haunted Chocolatier has become significantly more complicated than his earlier work on Stardew Valley. He explains that the increased pressure from Stardew Valley's popularity and fan expectations makes it harder to focus fully on the new project.

Scope and depth of the game

Barone has said in interviews that Haunted Chocolatier will be much bigger than Stardew Valley in terms of map count, monsters, and the depth of its item system. He aims to deliver a more complex experience with more traits and possibilities for players to explore. While Stardew Valley offers a charming and open game world, Haunted Chocolatier promises a spooky atmosphere with an enchanting but slightly darker story centered on chocolate and candy production.

A different creative approach

Barone has said that Haunted Chocolatier gives him more freedom to explore darker themes. The haunted setting, complete with castles and ghosts, gives him the creative space to experiment with less familiar and perhaps even slightly creepy elements, unlike the more playful and cheerful approach of Stardew Valley.

ConcernedApe's ambition to expand Haunted Chocolatier beyond his debut project is an exciting prospect for fans of the genre. It suggests that development could push the emotional and thematic depth of video games even further. That could enrich future interactive experiences in the same way Stardew Valley did.

In short, while the developer balances a busy schedule between Haunted Chocolatier and ongoing Stardew Valley updates, the outlook for the future remains optimistic. Questions about when the new game will actually arrive still linger, with the main takeaway being that it likely won't release before 2030. The extensive planning and development ahead for Haunted Chocolatier is both daunting for fans and a growing source of anticipation for ConcernedApe's next chapter.