Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, has begun revealing more about upcoming adventure / life simulator Haunted Chocolatier, with various teasers painting a bright picture of the game. For now, what we know is very limited – but with each new tweet, a bit more is illuminated.
In his latest teaser, Barone has left fans with a very exciting tidbit: ‘The world of Haunted Chocolatier is larger than Stardew Valley.’ In a single sentence with 117,000 likes, the developer has turned heads and inspired plenty of chatter about the scope and ambitions of this upcoming game.
As those familiar will note, Stardew Valley is already a fairly vast game, with its world charting multiple regions – your local farmstead, a nearby town, mines, beaches, and even multiple separate locations (an island, and a desert). Given Haunted Chocolatier‘s world will be considerably larger than this – enough that Barone feels the need to comment on its size – we can expect big things from this game.
This tidbit may also account for why Haunted Chocolatier has taken such a long time in development.
What do we know about Haunted Chocolatier?
To date, Barone has revealed a range of tidbits about Haunted Chocolatier, mostly in bite-sized parts. The game was first announced way back in 2021, as a more ‘fantastical’ successor to the beloved Stardew Valley. While Stardew Valley includes goblins and creepy lore, Barone made clear that Haunted Chocolatier would lean more into a magical world, to allow for new gameplay possibilities.
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‘In Stardew Valley, the focus was more humble: living off the land, growing food, and connecting to the people and nature around you,’ Barone explained in a blog post. ‘With my next game, I wanted to explore more fantastical possibilities… experiences that take you beyond the ordinary. That’s where magical haunted ghost chocolate comes in.’
Rather than being a traditional farming simulator, it appears Haunted Chocolatier will be more adventure-focussed, with players gathering ingredients for cooking and crafting.
Haunted Chocolatier is now Barone’s core focus
After releasing various teasers for the game over a number of years – including one that implies Stardew Valley‘s Grandpa may have a role in the story – Barone confirmed in 2025 that Haunted Chocolatier is now his core focus. He’s currently ‘knee-deep’ in the game’s development, with aims to put his head down, and charge ahead.
That said, there are some minor roadblocks in the way, particularly as the game has been in development for over four years now. Per Barone, that’s meant needing to revisit early features, and constantly iterate on what’s already implemented.
‘It’s been a few years that I’ve been working on it now and it’s like, I look at some of the stuff I did at the beginning and I’m like, “Oh man, here we go again. I’m gonna have to redo all of this,”‘ Barone recently told PC Gamer. ‘I’m literally a different person in four years, so it’s like my whole feelings about everything have changed. My aesthetic sensibilities have evolved.’
Regardless of this need to rework the game’s development as he goes, it does appear Barone is making progress, and that we could see a new look at Haunted Chocolatier sooner, rather than later.
When will Haunted Chocolatier release?
At this stage, it’s unclear when Haunted Chocolatier will release – but more important than knowing a date is remembering this game is being developed solo, and so it will take time. With the pressure of living up to Stardew Valley, it’s more than likely Barone is currently working hard, to live up to high expectations.
Those keen to see more of this upcoming game will need to remain patient, and stay tuned for official word as Barone continues to tease what’s next.
