For many cozy gaming fans, there are a few pixel art games that we’ve been looking forward to for so long, they barely feel real. One of them has been Witchbrook, which recently confirmed its release window for later this year. The other is, of course, the next game from Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone, aka Concerned Ape. Barone revealed Haunted Chocolatier back in 2021 and has provided only sporadic updates since. However, in a recent interview with PC Gamer, Barone shed some new light on where he’s at in the process of developing Haunted Chocolatier.
Many fans hoped we’d see quicker progress with Haunted Chocolatier after the big Stardew Valley 1.6 update dropped. And indeed, ConcernedApe did share a new blog post about the game shortly after wrapping that big Stardew update. However, since then, he has once again been relatively quiet about the new game. Thankfully, his conversation with PC Gamer confirms that fans don’t need to worry that the project has been scrapped. Haunted Chocolatier is definitely still underway, but don’t expect a shadow drop any time soon.
According to this most recent update, Barone is still working on the vertical slice for the game. However, he has also been working on content for the game, so things are moving forward. As he puts it, Barone is “knee deep in development” with Haunted Chocolatier, adding that “it’s gonna be a while still.” The developer is trying not to rush himself or stress too much about the game, and there’s always ongoing support for Stardew Valley to focus on.
Barone says he’s fantasized about going off to a cabin in the woods to work on Haunted Chocolatier, making a throwaway comment about vanishing from the internet for “two years.” While that’s no definite timeline, it certainly sounds like ConcernedApe does need a good bit more time to get the game in good shape for release.
What We Know About Haunted Chocolatier Makes it Seem Worth the Wait
Since we haven’t had a big update about the game in a while, it’s always worth refreshing our memory whenever ConcernedApe confirms that Haunted Chocolatier is still in progress. The most recent screenshots came back in December 2024, showing off some of the creatures and character portraits in the game.
We’ve also had a first look at several screenshots of the game’s location and even a few of its chocolate recipes to tide us over and keep the hype real. There will be ghosts in this haunted game, giving it a spooky vibe that just might step up the vibes from even the scarier elements of Stardew.
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Haunted Chocolatier shares a similar art style to Stardew Valley, but it will not be the same game. ConcernedApe has shared some changes in his development philosophy since then that will set the game apart. In particular, the focus on chocolate making rather than farming should make the gameplay feel different from the farming loop in Stardew. The combat is also more in-depth, as shared in a previous blog post, and will have a bigger part to play in the game compared with the relatively optional mines combat in Stardew Valley.
Basically, it sounds like we’ve still got a ways to go before we can expect to see anything resembling a release date for Haunted Chocolatier. However, this latest confirmation proves that it’s still very much in progress and on Barone’s mind, even if he doesn’t yet have enough new content to share to warrant one of those rare blog updates.
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