PC Gamer reports that Stardew Valley DLCs will always be free.

Thanks Couchpotato!

IGN reviewed the current version of Stardew Valley:

Stardew Valley Review (2024)

Thanks Couchpotato!

Version 1.6 of Stardew Valley will be released on March 19:

1.6 Release Date Announced!

March 19th

Hello everyone,

Today is Stardew Valley's 8th anniversary. That's a long time, I can't believe it's been so long. But the game is doing great, especially here on Steam which was the first platform I launched the game on, and have always considered it "home". It's an honor that Stardew Valley has been so well-received here on Steam, and I thank all of you for playing the game and creating a cool community around it!

What better day than today to announce the new 1.6 update release date:
March 19th, 2024

This update adds some new content to the game. I will release patch notes on the day of launch, but I think it would be more fun for you to just play the update and discover everything yourself. The update will work perfectly fine with your existing save files, but I'd recommend starting a new file to get all the new stuff in context (and because it's always fun to start a new file). You may even want to start with the new farm type.

With a new update on the horizon, a worldwide concert tour underway, an official cookbook coming soon, and now over 30 million copies sold, Stardew Valley is thriving more than ever. All of this is possible because of you, the players, so I just want to say THANK YOU very much.

I hope you enjoy the update when the time comes, and I'll see you in 3 weeks!

-Ape

The music of Stardew Valley can be enjoyed live:

Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons - Official Announcement Trailer

Thanks Couchpotato!

@Wccftech  ConcernedApe has revealed a small tidbit about update 1.6 for Stardew Valley stating that it will be friendly to modders.

As most of you will know, Barone, also known as ConcernedApe on Twitter, is working on his next game Haunted Chocolatier, but Barone has said that he's taking a short break from it in favor of a new patch for his previous game - Stardew Valley. Although not as large as Stardew Valley update 1.5, this upcoming update will include several changes for modders alongside new game content. As for the new game content, Barone revealed that there would be new dialogues with the arrival of the new patch. More details about this upcoming new update haven't been shared just yet.

"There is going to be a Stardew 1.6 update", Barone wrote on Twitter. "It's mostly changes for modders (which will make it easier & more powerful to mod). But there is also new game content, albeit much less than 1.5. I'm taking a break from Haunted Chocolatier to work on this at the moment. Then back to [Haunted Chocolatier].

[...]

Stardew Valley has received a large update that adds lots of end game content.

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. That’s because we’ve been really busy this year preparing another big free update for Stardew Valley… the 1.5 content update. It’s available right now on PC, and will come to consoles early next year. Mobile should follow later, but there’s no timeline yet.

This is Stardew Valley’s biggest update yet!

This update adds some significant “late-game” content to Stardew Valley. It’s by far the biggest solid chunk of new content that’s been added to the game since launch. I won’t go into too much detail right now because I don’t like spoiling things, but if you don’t mind spoiling the surprise for yourself, here’s a link to the full changelog.

---

The update is full of new things for you to discover (that I won’t spoil), but I want to share some info here that might be important to know before starting:

New Game Options

If you’re considering starting a new save file for this update, there’s a few new character creation options:

1. There is a new farm called “Beach Farm“. It’s big, with good fishing and foraging opportunities, and the chance for rare supply crate to wash up on shore. But there’s a catch… the majority of the farm is covered in sandy soil that prevents you from using sprinklers (they get clogged with the sand). If this is your first time playing Stardew Valley, I recommend trying one of the other farms for a more classic experience, but if you’re coming back for another playthrough, Beach Farm might make your experience a little more fresh (it also has a unique look).
2. There is a new “Advanced Game Options” button in the bottom left of the character creation menu. From here, you can select a variety of options to customize your playthrough. For returning players, I’d recommend trying out the “remixed” Community Center bundles, which randomizes the bundles you’ll get, adding in brand new ones as well as variations of the originals. Remixing the mine rewards can also shake things up… this adds randomized variety to what you can get out of the mine chests.
3. Make sure to check out the new hairstyles at the end of the hairs list.

Split Screen (Local) Co-Op

To play splitscreen, build a cabin (from Robin’s) for up to 3 other players who will be joining (if you’re starting a new game, you can also select to have cabins already placed at the beginning in the advanced game options menu). Once the cabins are there, open your game menu, scroll down to multiplayer, and select “Start local co-op”. The other players can now join by pressing start on a controller connected to the PC. Please see the options tab in the game menu to adjust the zoom level and UI zoom level to a setting that works well for you. Otherwise, split screen works exactly the same as online multiplayer.

Modding

Some prominent modders were given early access to 1.5 so that they could update their mods in time for release. If you play with mods that you can’t live without, check to see if they might already be updated!

A spoiler-free list of some of the new features to expect:

• New people to meet
• New goals
• Many new items
• A new type of quest
• A new farm layout
• New character events
• A new Community Upgrade
• Home renovations (after you’ve fully upgraded your house)
• Ducks can now swim
• You can sit in chairs
• You can move your bed
• Fish Tanks
• A bunch of new furniture items as well as new furniture types like wall sconces
• New secrets
• 9 new music tracks
• And so much more… you’ll just have to see, I can’t bear to spoil it

---

While 1.5 should be bug-free, there’s always a chance that we missed something.

If you encounter any bugs or issues while playing 1.5, please check the Stardew Valley Forums to see if the bug has already been reported. If so, please comment on the thread and let us know that you are also experiencing the bug. If you can’t find an existing thread, then please make a new one.

Also, in general it’s a good time to join the Stardew Valley Forums if you haven’t already!

---

Next year, there will be more Stardew Valley related announcements (and possibly beyond…) to look forward to.

 

Have fun!

-Ape

Stardew Valley has sold 10 million copies:

Stardew Valley has sold over 10 million copies. It's strange & amazing to think back to when I was making this game in my bedroom w/ no clue if anyone would like it. Only 4 years ago! To everyone who has played this game, supported it, and made all of this possible: Thank you!!

Congratulations!

ConcernedApe has put his new game on hold to make more Stardew Valley and is putting together a team to do it.

Hi everyone,

First, a quick reminder:

A few weeks ago I announced that I’ll be self-publishing Stardew Valley on most platforms (everywhere except Nintendo Switch and mobile). Today, that transition takes effect.

So, as of today, for PC, Mac, Linux, XBox One, Playstation 4, and PS Vita, if you have any questions, comments, or business inquiries, please send them directly to me. I now bear 100% of the responsibility for these platforms!

Now, I’d like to tell you guys what I’m up to, and what’s in store for the future of Stardew Valley.

As many of you know, I’ve been working on a new game for a while. I haven’t revealed anything about it, except that it takes place in the same universe as Stardew Valley. I’ve been deliberately secretive about it because I want to be able to work on it without any pressure for the time being. I also want to make sure the concept is fully realized before revealing anything, because once it’s out there, I’m going to have to fully commit to it. I’m a pretty cautious person when it comes to this sort of thing.

Now, I believe I’ve said in the past that I wanted to devote all my time to the new game, and I might not work on any new Stardew Valley content. Well, that’s not exactly true. While there have been times in the past where I felt burnt out, and maybe even said that I wanted to move on, I always find myself coming back to Stardew Valley. For one, I keep getting new ideas for ways to improve and expand upon the game. This world is so full of potential, I could probably work on it for the rest of my life. There’s also such a wonderful community surrounding the game… and I like making you guys happy. I’m extremely grateful to all of you for supporting my work and creating this wonderful Stardew Valley community.  I wouldn’t be where I am today without you. And knowing that there’s still tons of people out there who love the game and would be extremely happy to get new content motivates me to keep working.

In short, what I’m saying is that I am going to keep making new content for Stardew Valley. In fact, I’ve recently put my other game on the back-burner and have been in the process of creating a new free content update.

French, Korean, Italian, and Turkish translations are also underway, though they may not come out until early next year.

I’m aware that saying “I’m working on new content” might be aggravating to those on consoles who don’t have the 1.3 update yet… Or to those on Switch who are experiencing frame rate issues in the new patch. I also haven’t forgotten about the PS Vita users, some of whom have reported bugs to me. It’s very important to me that I make good on my promises… the idea of expanding further while there are still lingering issues and unmet promises disturbs me, and isn’t something I want to be doing.

So I want to make it clear that these issues are my top priority, and if there’s ever anything I can do to help these things happen more quickly, it takes precedence over any new content… however, I don’t do those ports myself, they are done by Sickhead Games, so there’s nothing I can personally do to have an effect on that process, beyond setting it into motion (Sickhead Games does great work, by the way…  and they are making very fast progress on the console updates). I am also doing what I can to see the issues with Switch multiplayer get fixed, but that is also not something I can directly accomplish. So when I do work on new content, it’s only when I have no current avenue for addressing these higher priority issues.

So, currently I’m working on a new Stardew Valley update, and my new game is on hold for the time being. The difficult thing is that I want to work on both… I want to keep working on Stardew Valley and I also want to work on my new game. But I don’t have enough time to accomplish my goals with both things simultaneously. For a while, I considered being finished with Stardew Valley altogether. But that would make me (and many others) sad. So I’ve decided that I’m going to form a team to help me work on future Stardew Valley content. The update I’m working on right now (1.4) will be another solo update, but after that I hope to have a team in place that I can work closely with on future content.

This is going to be a big change for me… I’ve always worked alone, and working with a team is a whole new ballgame. However, just as I did with Stardew Valley originally, I’m just gonna go for it, and have faith that I can rise to the occasion and make it work. My hope is that the new team will help take some of the workload off me, so I have enough breathing room to divide my time between my new game and Stardew Valley. I still plan on having a very active role in the future of Stardew Valley, and the originator of all major Stardew Valley decisions and content. And there are many aspects of development which I’ll never be okay with handing over to another, like music or writing. But when it comes to programming, fixing bugs, administrative/business work, or even pixel art… I think I’d be okay with having some help. I’ll post more about this later.

 

This is a lot of new info, so here’s a summary:

• My top priority is to see the 1.3 multiplayer update come to Xbox One & Playstation 4, and for issues with the Switch patch to be addressed.
• I am working on a new game, but I’ve put it on hold in order to create a new Stardew Valley update (1.4).
• French, Korean, Italian, and Turkish translations are in the works, though they may not come out until early next year.
• I plan on forming a team to help me work on new Stardew Valley content (beyond 1.4)
• Once the team is in place, I’ll divide my time between Stardew Valley and my new game.
• I am now self-publishing on all platforms except Nintendo Switch and mobile.

Thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend

-Ape

Eric Barone(ConcernedApe) will be self publishing Stardew Valley in future meaning Chucklefish will not be involved going forward.

The multiplayer update for Stardew Valley has been released.

Stardew Valley 1.3 (Multiplayer Update) is now available!

This update is a significant change for Stardew Valley… Not only does it include a good amount of new content (new items, events, etc.), but it also includes the long-awaited addition of co-op multiplayer!

Several months ago, I finished working on the content additions, and turned my attention to finishing multiplayer. Progress on that front came along steadily.

Then, we started the multiplayer beta on April 30. Of course, I underestimated the number of bugs you’d all find! But over the past couple months Tom and I have worked hard to track and fix every known multiplayer bug. And now, it’s ready to go.

Credit must be given to Tom Coxon (of Chucklefish), who wrote all the major networking code himself and turned this fairly complex game into a seamless multiplayer experience! We’ve worked hard to make the co-op experience as fun and intuitive as possible.

I also want to thank everyone else at Chucklefish for all their hard work coordinating this big launch!

Below, I’ll give you a more detailed explanation of both the new game-play content and a more detailed explanation of how multiplayer will work.

First, let me share some of the new content with you. This is not an exhaustive list, and I’m purposely being vague on many aspects because I think it will be more fun to discover these things for yourself:

• A traveling festival comes to town
  • For three days in winter, a traveling festival visits Pelican Town. Unlike a normal festival, farmers can come and go as they please, and the location isn’t “locked out” at any point (there’s no setup). Pelican Town is different for a few days, and most of the townspeople’s schedules change to reflect that. The festival offers farmers a once-a-year chance to acquire unique items, purchase an original work of art from the famous Lupini, enjoy some live entertainment, and more….

• A winter mystery… and a new collection type
  • In winter, farmers might encounter a strange event… which will ultimately grant them the ability to start a new, “secret” type of collection. This new ability will surely result in unusual new adventures and greater knowledge…

• Help someone out in town…
  • Farmers who have made great progress for themselves will have the opportunity to help someone in a significant way…
• New Character Events
  • There are new character events, some of which grant you permanent bonuses. There are also a couple of “secret” events that you’ll only encounter if certain conditions are met.

• Skull Cavern Changes
  • 3 new monster types added (more powerful versions of familiar enemies)
  • “Treasure Rooms” added (rare chance of finding a room with a chest containing useful items… including two that can’t be found any other way)
  • A new reason to attempt a deep dive…
• Ability to change professions
  • If you regret your choice of profession, or simply want to try out something new, there is now a way to change your professions. It comes with a price, however…

• Signs
  • Signs are craftable items which are available to you from the very beginning of the game. Any item in Stardew Valley can be “clicked” onto the sign, and it will display that item (the item won’t be consumed).

• Decorations
  • A variety of new outdoor decorations have been added, including many that are “seasonal”, meaning that their appearance changes with each season. Multiplayer makes decorating even more fun.

• Auto-Grabber
  • An expensive item that can be placed in a barn and automatically harvests milk and wool from the animals each morning.
• Garden Pots
  • Garden pots allow you to grow any crop indoors year-round. Think of them like one-tile greenhouses. When placed outside, however, they only grow crops that are in-season.

• New Crop
  • There is a new crop that only grows indoors.
• Fireplaces are now furniture
  • This means you can move your fireplace around, and also buy a couple of different kinds of fireplaces.
• Hats on horses
  • You can now put hats on your horse. Enjoy… (this was actually an original intended feature in Stardew Valley two years ago, but I never finished it and had completely forgotten about it. Now it’s finally finished)

Now, a more in-depth look at how multiplayer works…

Stardew Valley now supports up to 4 player co-op. Co-op is nearly identical to single-player, but with 1-3 other friends playing together with you to achieve a common goal. Any single player game can be “converted” to a co-op game by having Robin build one or more cabins on your farm.

One player serves as the host, and the other 1-3 players connect to the host in order to play. Therefore, the host must be in-game at all times when the group wants to play.

The new update adds a Co-op button to the title screen. Clicking the button will bring you to the co-op menu, from which you can:

• Host a new co-op game
• Re-host an existing co-op game
• Join a new farm (provided that any of your friends are hosting and have a cabin available for you)
• Re-join a farm (provided that the host is in-game)
• Join a LAN game (by entering the IP address of the host)
• Enter an invite code (generated by the host) to join a game (this allows for Steam/GOG crossplay)

When hosting a new game, you’ll have some new options available to you:

• “Starting Cabins” gives you the choice to start a new game with 1-3 cabins pre-positioned on the farm. If you decide to go this route, you’ll have two “Cabin Layouts” to choose from: “Nearby”, which places the cabins close to one another, encouraging a communal farming style, and “Separate”, which places the cabins far apart and allows for more independence.

Alternatively, you can start with no pre-positioned cabins and instead build them yourself (via Robin).

• “Profit Margin” adjusts the profit margin of goods that you sell. You can choose between “Normal” (the original Stardew Valley amount), “75%”, “50%”, and “25%”. This is, in effect, a way to increase the difficulty of the game. For larger groups of experienced players, it might be desired. However, keep in mind that there already is some “scaling” of difficulty built into the game, since each player will need to upgrade their own tools, upgrade their own houses, buy bigger packs, etc.

• In co-op, all players share the same pool of money, and are working together on the same farm. The state of the game world, including the main storyline, is shared between all players. However, each player has their own private inventory,  skills, achievements, collections, relationships, quests, and crafting/cooking recipes.

In general, it’s assumed that co-op games are only being played with people you trust. The game maintains no real concept of “ownership”, since all players are working communally on a shared farm.

• When it’s time to go to bed, all players must enter their beds. Only then will the day end.
• Players can marry each other by crafting a “wedding ring” (An old Zuzu City tradition), and offering it to another player. If the other player accepts the ring, the couple is now engaged.
• The chat box allows you to communicate with each other… with the help of nearly 200 custom Stardew Valley emojis!

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Stardew Valley will be updated with multiplayer August 1st.

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The Stardew Valley multiplayer update comes out on August 1st, 2018 for PC, Mac & Linux! Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch multiplayer updates coming soon.

@PCGamesN Stardew Valley has some new features including having all your girlfriends or boyfriends getting mad at you.

Amorous players on Reddit who’ve loaded the beta update have occasionally found themselves met with tribunals of angry boyfriends and girlfriends, as Polygon have noted. The event seems to trigger if you’re unmarried and have reached 10 hearts will all available dating options, at which point you’ll face either the boys down at the saloon or the girls at Haley’s house.

[...]

PCGamesN reports that Stardew Valley's multiplayer is now in public beta.

Update, April 30: Stardew Valley's multiplayer update is now in public beta.

Been waiting for Stardew Valley multiplayer? You can play it right now. After some time in internal testing, the multiplayer beta is now open to all players on Steam, providing the full suite of options ahead of the new update’s full release. But do mind the (potential) bugs along the way.

 

You can opt in to the beta 1.3 update by opening the game properties on Steam, hitting the betas tab, and inputting the code “jumpingjunimos.” That will force the game the to pull down the update and let you start farming with your pals. The beta will also go out to GOG users in a few days.

[...]

On the second anniversary of Stardew Valley releasing, Eric Barone has tweeted that his next secret game is in the works.

Today is the 2 year anniversary of Stardew Valley. I've got that strange sensation of both the shortest and longest 2 years of my life. Thanks for joining me on this journey everyone. With MP close, my next (secret) game in the works, and more... there's lots to look forward to

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 26, 2018

Concerned Ape has posted an update on the progress of 1.3 for Stardew Valley.

Hi everyone,

Just want to give you a quick fill-in on the status of the new update.

As you may know, I’ve always worked solo on Stardew Valley. However,  for this multiplayer update I’ve had the help of Tom Coxon (of Chucklefish). He’s done all the network coding to turn Stardew Valley into a multiplayer game… truly an impressive feat, and one that would not be possible without his talent. He deserves a lot of credit for this — Thank you Tom!

Now, here’s where we’re at:

Work on the new features is done, and we’ve sent all the new text off to be translated into the different languages. Meanwhile, we are working on bug fixes. Once we’ve received the translated text and integrated it back into the game, we’ll begin a serious QA phase involving thorough testing of all new features in both multiplayer and single player contexts. When that is finished, the update should be ready for a public beta.  I am still shooting for a spring release for the beta.

When the beta gets closer to launch, I’ll fill you guys in on more specifics as to how multiplayer will work, as well as a more complete list of the new features in the update.

I’ll also be sure to let you guys know as soon as we’ve determined a more concrete timetable for release.

For now, here’s a screenshot of the new signs in action:

 

 

These signs are crafting items that will be available to you from the start of the game. Any item in Stardew Valley can be “clicked” onto them to display. 

Thanks so much everyone for your patience while we get this update ready. It’s really going to be a “game changer” for Stardew Valley!

-Ape

DSOGaming reports that Stardew Valley has sold 3.5 million copies on Steam.

Now while Superdata did not reveal the exact number of sold copies, we can take a look at Steamspy in order to get an idea of how many the PC sales actually are. And according to Steamspy’s data, the Steam version has sold 3.5 million copies.

[...]

PCGamer reports that Stardew Valley will go into beta for its multiplayer sometime in 2018. Also an underwater area has been teased.

[...]

The previous teaser image showed a boat with, Andy reports, some lights, boxes and barrels. The room in the latest image is a little more revealing. Its metal structure and aquatic backdrop could hint at underwater farms or other undersea content, which fits with the boat. The machine tucked away to the left, which looks to have some sort of gauge measuring either air or water pressure, also supports the idea.

 

In more concrete news, an accompanying blog post from Chucklefish confirmed that the beta for Stardew Valley multiplayer, once planned for this year, has been pushed back to early 2018. The post also touches on inter-player marriage and expanded festivals, both of which are said to be coming along.

Eurogamer reports that Stardew Valley will get more single player content.

The game has a big multiplayer update on the horizon which will add co-operative play within the same town. But, beyond that? Sadly, it felt like Barone was finally finished tinkering with his masterpiece.

Well, that's no longer the case. In a post to Twitter last night, Barone revealed he was once more back working on single-player Stardew stuff, and teased what it might be:

I'm working on some new Stardew Valley content, to be released with the upcoming free multiplayer update. This will affect single-player, too! I'll share more when the release gets closer. Though I'll keep some things secret (more fun) pic.twitter.com/rgWCt8IIRi

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) November 14, 2017

PCGamer have a guide on how to make a winery in Stardew Valley.

1. Start with a blank slate

One of the most daunting tasks for new Stardew Valley players is the absolute mess of a farm you start the game with. Left to the wild will of mother nature, your new farm is overgrown with trees, grass, rocks, and all manner of other detritus-a far cry from some of the immaculate creations in our gallery of farms. Cleaning the whole thing up not only gives you a great sense of accomplishment, it gives you a nice blank canvas to start with. But cleaning up your farm is not just a good move for new players-it's also a good idea for players who haphazardly placed their first few farm buildings and are now left with a disorganized, inefficient system to manage.

As with any large-scale overhaul, it's easier to start fresh and build anew than fix a broken system piece by piece. It might seem like moving backwards, but the best way to start planning out a well-organized farm is to detach from emotion and burn it all to the ground. Chop the trees, bust the rocks, sell off your animals (having to tend to daily feed, love, and milkings is just another distraction), and destroy all the buildings. The fresh slate of an empty farm is now our canvas.

[...]

@stardewvalley There is some news on how the planned for multiplayer in Stardew Valley will play.

Stardew Valley Multiplayer News

Hi everyone! I'm the Chucklefish dev who has been coordinating with Eric on localisation, porting and multiplayer for Stardew Valley over the last year. I've previously worked on Starbound (the procedural quest generator was my baby), and I'm also developing Lenna's Inception, another Chucklefish project, on the side.

I'm here with an update for those of you who have been waiting so patiently for news on multiplayer! Now that we've pinned down the main technical issues, we know enough to feel confident describing the gameplay you can expect from it.

Shortly after you begin the game, Robin will offer to build up to 3 cabins on your farm. Each cabin will house a farmhand, controlled by one of your friends.

Farmhands can do almost anything the main player can do. They can farm, mine, fight, fish, forage, marry NPCs and take part in festivals. Each player has their own inventory. When a farmhand is not connected, their inventory can be managed through a chest in their cabin.

Certain decisions can be made only by the main player: when to sleep, when to start and end festivals, and whether to side with Joja, for instance.

You won't need to set up a server to run multiplayer. Friends can be invited onto the farm through Steam. The invite mechanism for non-Steam versions is TBD, but likely to be similar in most cases.

A lot of players have requested player-to-player marriage. It's an idea we like a lot, and want to make available as a feature. Player-to-player marriage won't use the mermaid pendant, but rather an alternative method that requires a similar amount of effort to wooing an NPC. We're still working out what that will be.

Local multiplayer, split-screen and PVP are not planned at this point.

Effort so far has been focused on overcoming the biggest technical hurdle: synchronising multiple games over the Internet. Almost every source file has been touched, and 15,000 lines of code have been rewritten. Retrofitting multiplayer into a game that didn't have it originally is notoriously hard.

Anyway, that chunk of work is almost complete now and we're starting to look towards what's next:

• Implementing the farmhand cabins
• UI and menus
• Events and festivals
• Multiplayer NPC relationships
• Polish, testing and optimisation

We currently expect to be able to start a beta test at the end of the year for Steam users to help us test the game. Mod authors will be encouraged to update their mods during this beta period. Then, in early 2018 we will release it as the 1.3 patch on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Consoles will get the patch too, starting with Nintendo Switch. This will be a bigger patch than usual, so be aware that it will take a while to roll out to each platform.

Thanks Purpleblob!

Gazette Review has listed some of the best mods for Stardew Valley:

Top 10 Stardew Valley Mods

The breakout hit of 2015 in terms of RPG and Farm Simulators, Stardew Valley really showed that indie games could come in all shapes and colors in incredibly high quality. With elements of many favorites of previous generations such as Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley combines a feel good farming game with an air of mystery and a big sense of community. This is incredible, as the developer ConcernedApe (Eric Barone) was the sole developer for the nearly four years that it took to make this game. While the vanilla game is fantastic, there is one thing that can make any game better or extend its play: mods. Here, we take a look at the top 10 mods for Stardew Valley.

[...]

ConcernedApe has taken a look back at development on his blog showing some early work-in-progress screenshots. Also the PC will be getting multiplayer first according to this tweet from ConcernedApe in response to this PCGamer article.

Also, the game was called "Sprout Valley" at this point:

As you can see, the "bones" of Stardew Valley were pretty much there way back in 2012. So why did it take 4 more years to complete?

Well, you could say I was "polishing" the game during those 4 years.

I ended up re-doing nearly all the art several times. I redid the vast majority of the soundtrack. I expanded the NPC's way beyond anything you'd see in the 2012 version. I made the map way bigger and more detailed. I added JojaMart and the Community Center. I added tons of items. I totally changed the crafting system and the mines.

In fact, at one point, the mines were going to be procedurally generated and fully destructible, with lakes you could cross by raft:

[...]

Eric Barone released Stardew Valley as a singleplayer game, but only because multiplayer support wasn't finished yet. So we've known for a while that multiplayer is coming to Stardew Valley-officially, that is-and today it's been revealed that the big patch may be coming this summer. But we're not completely sure yet.

Nintendo announced today that the Switch will be the "first console" to have Stardew Valley multiplayer when it releases for the system this summer. As "first" is qualified with "console," the multiplayer update could come to PC at the same time, or even earlier-though nothing about it has been announced explicitly.

@GameRevolution they talk about how well Stardew Valley has done.

Unlike most games in the industry, Stardew Valley was released at a low price point. At an MSRP of $14.99, it was one of the least expensive games released in 2016. Although such a price point is commonly associated with short-lived indie experiences, Stardew Valley would accumulate dozens of hours of entertainment from the average player.

Stardew Valley was soon thrust into the spotlight, hitting the number one spot on Steam's Top Seller list, accelerating sales into the hundreds of thousands within the first two weeks. It was no longer a game simply looking to fill a void left by Harvest Moon, it was one on the verge of becoming a phenomenon.

Nearly a year later Stardew Valley would release on console, a place ripe with opportunity. Debuting during December to virtually no competition, it easily found its way onto the Xbox Store and PlayStation Store best-seller lists. And, once again, it was met with glowing reviews.

By the end of 2016 it was estimated that Stardew Valley was owned by more than two million Steam users. This statistic puts the title's estimated revenue at over $25 million on PC alone. Given its performance on Xbox One and PS4, it is very likely that it's now sitting on a growing pile of $35 million.

Related: GameRevolution Interview with Stardew Valley's Creator, Eric Barone

This figure would be considered a success for the typical development studio that spends an average of $20 to $25 million to create a game. But this wasn't made by a development studio. Instead, it was made by a single person.

Gamespot has reviewed the indie RPG Stardew Valley:

Reap what you sow.

On the surface, Stardew Valley is a game about farming, but there are more adventures awaiting curious players beyond cultivating a rich and bountiful garden. From mining and fishing to making friends and falling in love, Stardew Valley's Pelican Town is stuffed with rewarding opportunities. As modern day woes give way to pressing matters on the farm and within your newfound community, Stardew Valley's meditative activities often lead to personal reflection in the real world. It’s a game that tugs at your curiousity as often as it does your heart.

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The sheer number of things to accomplish in Stardew Valley can keep you interested beyond the original three in-game years you need to reach the end of your story--you may just want to start over rather than continue on. You’ll work quite hard to gather enough money for your first horse, so that you can quickly move to the mines to get a mineral to complete a bundle at the community center. It’s all centered around whatever it is you want to accomplish that day. And that’s truly what makes Stardew Valley such a lovely experience, it encourages you to go out and be the best you can be, in whichever task that brings you the most joy. Stardew Valley motivates naturally, with blissful optimism.

Score: 9/10

ConcernedApe announced that Stardew Valley version 1.1 is now available on Steam on his website. The GOG version is not ready yet but coming soon.

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Changelog

• Shane and Emily are now available to marry. They each have new events, music, and more!
• Spouses now have a unique outdoor area and behavior on the farm.
• You can now choose from 5 different farm maps at character creation. Each map is focused on a different skill area.
• Standard Farm - The original Stardew Valley farm.
• Riverland Farm - Lots of water, good for fishing.
• Forest Farm - Foraging opportunities and a unique weed that always drops mixed seeds.
• Hill-top Farm - Has a small mineral deposit from which ores spawn, including a unique geode-bearing ore.
• Wilderness Farm - Monsters spawn at night.
• "Shed" building... An empty room that can be decorated, filled with kegs, etc.
• "Mill" building... Can be used to turn wheat into flour and beets into sugar overnight.
• A new quest that can be started after the Community Center or JojaMart quest arc is complete. The new quest results in a new "magical construction" feature available from the Wizard's Tower. The new quest is triggered when you enter the Railroad area.
• Added several new locations that are related to the above quest. "Junimo Hut" building (Magical Construction). Junimos will harvest crops within a certain distance of the hut, instantly transporting the harvest back to the hut for you to gather at your convenience.
• "Earth Obelisk" building (Magical Construction). A permanent warp totem to the mountains.
• "Water Obelisk" building (Magical Construction). A permanent warp totem to the beach.
• "Gold Clock" building (Magical Construction). Prevents weeds from spawning and fences from decaying on your farm.
• You can now move your buildings via Robin's construction menu.
• New house upgrade from Robin that adds a cellar to your house and teaches you the "cask" crafting recipe. In the cellar, you can use Casks to age cheese and alcohol, increasing their quality.
• "Iridium-star" level quality is now attainable for aged goods, fruit, forage items (if you have the botanist perk), and animal products. Iridium-star level items have twice the value of normal items.
• NPC's now appreciate quality level in gifts, but it only has an effect on gifts they "like" or "love".
• Added Coffee, a spring/summer crop, and Coffee Bean. The bean acts as the produce and the seed, similar to sunflowers.

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PC Gamer looks at the latest update for Stardew Valley from developer Eric Barone. Version 1.1 is basically finished and available on the Beta branch currently.

The list of new features and fixes is pretty extensive, but highlights include two new marriage candidates, the option to divorce your partner, four new starting farm maps (Riverland, Forest, Hilltop, and Wilderness, plus the original Standard farm layout), Coffee as a new spring/summer crop, Evil Shrines (what kind of farm is this?), and a new Cellar upgrade option for your house that lets you age cheese and alcohol.

The update also adds an entirely new quest, along with several quest-related locations, that unlocks the new "magical construction" feature. Magical buildings can be placed on your farm like regular ones, and include things such as obelisks that teleport you to certain locations and a "Junimo Hut" that will automatically harvest nearby crops.

The list of bug fixes is shorter, and I can't say that there's anything in it that really leaps out at me as a major, must-fix issue. Wild plums are now labeled as fruit, you can no longer tap a stump, you'll no longer lose hay to a hopper if you don't have a silo, and your baby should now be born properly even if you pass out in the mines on the eve of birth. Okay, that one is obviously vital.

Barone said he wants to do "a little beta test to catch any bugs" before he pushes the update to everyone. "I am trying to keep this kind of low-key, so I'm just going to be posting about it here... no twitter or reddit this time," he wrote. (Sorry, Eric.) "If you decide to help me out by playing on the beta branch, I appreciate it very much. Thank you!"

To opt into the beta and play with the update right now, right-click Stardew Valley in your Steam library, select Properties, click the Betas tab and then select "beta" from the dropdown menu. Assuming you've done it properly, the [beta] tag will appear next to the title, the game will update, and you'll be on your way. Barone also warned that while it's "very unlikely" playing the beta build will mess with your saves, you should back them up anyway.

PC Gamer talked to Eric Barone about the new features of Stardew Valley version 1.1, that is going to be released in a month:

Stardew Valley - 1.1 update gameplay and interview

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We talk to Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone about the upcoming 1.1 update for Stardew Valley.

Purpleblob goes farming and gets married in her review of Stardew Valley.

On my first play through the game, I followed the direction that the game seemed to push me towards - playing a hard-working farmer that befriended the townsfolk, and worked to unite the community and drive away the evil corporation that I used to work for in my previous life.

On my second character, I went the opposite direction, and role played a girl who didn't bother so much with farming, but spent her time making easy money, and working to cement Joja's foothold on the town. Both ways were equally satisfying, and did not lock me out of some of the optional features and areas of the town.

With a little bit of imagination, you will find the game offers a surprising amount of replayability. In contrast to some AAA games, at no point was I railroaded into taking a certain approach to roleplaying, and the game did not artificially heap guilt upon me for assisting the "bad guys".

Version 1.1 update details and post-launch update plans for Stardew Valley.

Hello everyone!

First, I'd like to thank you all so much for playing Stardew Valley. The game has been more successful than I ever imagined, and I'm very grateful to everyone for granting me this amazing opportunity. I can't say it enough- the community that's formed around this game is incredible... full of kind, talented people who have given Stardew Valley a life of it's own. It's really cool. heart

The last couple of months have been pretty wild for me. I released seven patches... with bug fixes, adjustments, and some new content here and there. In addition, I've been keeping up with interviews, business stuff, social media platforms, and helping people who are having issues with the game. In short, I've been extremely busy.

Toward the end of April the launch buzz had cooled off enough that I could afford to take a short break. It's been nice... I've actually played some other games for the first time in a long while, which was fun (Final Fantasy IX, Factorio, Age Of Empires II) . I feel refreshed, and I'm ready to get back to work!

First, here is a list of what's planned for the future of Stardew Valley:

Version 1.1 - A substantial content update
Co-op Multiplayer
Localizing for non-english regions
Mac/Linux Ports
Console Ports
Merchandise

[...]

There's no official timetable for any of this yet... Mainly I just want to let you all know that multiplayer, porting and localization are actively being worked on.

In the meantime, I'd like to give a little rundown of some things I'm planning for version 1.1:

More late-game content
New farm buildings
New crops
New artisan goods
New advanced farming/producing mechanics
Shane and Emily will be marriage candidates. They will also have more events and dialogue as a result.
More marriage content for all spouses
More events for the non-marriage NPC's
Improvements/Additions to mining and combat
Ability to move buildings and other convenience features
More bug fixes
More secrets
More small, fun touches to the world

(note: anything in this list is subject to change)

Polygon reports that Stardew Valley is one of Steam's biggest releases in 2016 so far:

Stardew Valley has sold over a million copies, publisher Chucklefish Games confirmed to Polygon. That makes the farming simulator one of Steam's biggest releases of 2016 thus far, according to SteamSpy.

"It's actually at 1,007,000 [copies sold] as of now," a representative for Chucklefish Games told Polygon in an email. That figure has yet to be reflected on SteamSpy, a third-party tracking platform that keeps tabs on how games on Steam are selling. Based on the updated number, its list of 2016's biggest commercial hits finds Stardew Valley sitting just under the free-to-play Ark: Survival of the Fittest and H1Z1, whose sales numbers comprise both free and paid versions. [...]

The latest Stardew Valley update features some improvements to Married Life, Fruit Trees, Charcoal Kilns and lots of minor annoyances.

You can find a full list of changes below:

• Spouses now say unique dialogues during festivals (most of the time), rather than the generic handful of dialogues
• Spouse stands next to you at the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies
• In-law dialogue... when you marry someone, their parents/relatives dialogues will change slightly to account for the change
• Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail now go to the saloon on fridays after you marry them.
• Spouses won't leave on rainy days, unless they have to go to work.
• Fruit trees produce higher quality fruit as they age. (once per year, up to gold star)
• Fruit tree harvesting now involves shaking the tree to drop the fruit
• Lightning strikes now have a unique effect on fruit trees
• Lightning is more likely to strike trees and crops, but lightning rods now have a very good chance of intercepting lightning strikes (if they aren't already processing a lightning bolt)
• Charcoal Kiln now requires 10 wood to produce 1 coal, down from 20
• Maxed-out friendship levels will no longer decay
• Added another digit to the shipping menu money counters.
• Dying in mines is less harsh: money lost caps at 5000g, rate of item loss reduced, can't lose rings or the
• Your assigned movement keys are now used within Journey Of The Prairie King
• You can now retrieve powerups and coins that drop on the edge of the map in Journey Of The Prairie King
• The last two hearts are now greyed-out for marriage candidates until you give them the bouquet
• Willy now likes most fish dishes
• Adventurer's Guild now sells monster slayer rewards after you've unlocked them (you still get the free reward)
• Hardware mouse cursor option

Bug Fixes:

• Tools left in chests within farm buildings won't count as "missing"
• Poppy properly consumed in poppyseed muffin recipe
• Can no longer incorrectly "consume" trap bobbers (click to make them disappear with strange sound)
• Agriculturist profession no longer causes an extra 25% growth rate when speed-gro isn't present. Speed increase effects should now properly apply to very slow-growing crops.
• Fixed sunflower seed price at JojaMart
• Chests should no longer appear on top of you in bed after upgrading your house.
• Item placement with the gamepad improved, and there is now an option to show an item placement indicator
• Snow yams shouldn't appear in the desert anymore
• Sea Cucumber should properly appear in the fishing tab of the Shipping menu
• Farm animals should no longer get stuck on fences placed directly to the right of the barn door.
• Various minor bug fixes.
• Minor changes/fixes to dialogue

Electric Bento has reviewed Stardew Valley:

Stardew Valley Review

If video games could have children, Stardew Valley would be the 3-way love child of Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and Animal Crossing. A handcrafted homage that goes above and beyond the technical limitations of its predecessors. Stardew Valley is easily one of the most impressive and endearing “Indie” games of 2016.

[...]

Stardew Valley has the ability to pull you in and, despite a few kinks, keeps you coming back for more. Just one more day inevitably turns into my wife tossing a pillow to the couch at 2 in the morning. It’s so easy to get caught up with the little things that are happening on the farm.

Score: 9/10

Pros

• Easy to learn and advance
• Robust crafting and farming system
• Everything is rendered beautifully
• Animals, weather changing, wind rustling through the trees and various creepy noises marry well with the bright and flowery accompaniment

Cons

• No music for night time
• Make sure you enable the hit box tracking or you'll be wasting energy flailing about like a fool
• Combat tends to be a bit bland and repetitive
• Needs smaller more refined goals during the beginning and growing phases of your farm

Vulture interviewed Eric Barone the mastermind behind Stardew Valley:

How a First-time Developer Created Stardew Valley, 2016's Best Game to Date

If you check out the list of top-selling titles on Steam, the online game-distribution juggernaut, one game sticks out. Whereas the rest of the list is populated mostly with the most recent entries in the long-running, big-studio Hitman and GTA and Tom Clancy franchises, sitting inexplicably in the #2 spot is Stardew Valley, a game with pixelated SNES-style graphics, a meandering pace, and the simple core mechanics of planting and watering and cultivating different crops over and over and over as the days and seasons pass. It does not sound like a blockbuster. And yet it is — more than 550,000 people have downloaded it in the two and a half weeks since it was released.

[...]

In other words, cooking exists to provide players with health and energy — to encourage them to indulge in the core mechanics of farming, mining, and fishing. He didn’t want the kitchen to be a click-click-click profit-maximizing feature. Both decisions align with Barone’s vision for the sort of behavior games should encourage: not mindless clicking and maximum efficiency, but something more thoughtful and slower-paced and conducive to wonder. And when you’re a one-man team, you get to make whatever decisions you want. A game like Stardew Valley, Barone said, is “a lot more personal than a game made by a hundred people that’s some kind of focus-tested experience where they just want to make as much profit as possible.”

But as things turned out, profit wasn’t a problem. After Stardew Valley dropped on February 26, Barone watched in awe as the sales numbers rushed skyward. Thanks in part to the fact that Barone’s publisher, Chucklefish, had aggressively marketed the game to popular Twitch and YouTube personalities who streamed early builds, Stardew Valley was on a lot of radars, and both sales and plaudits quickly began rolling in. Even taking out Chucklefish’s cut and whatever special offers have helped build momentum, 550,000 units sold at $15 a pop means Barone has earned a generous retroactive salary for the last four years and ensured himself a future as an independent game developer.

[...]

Thanks Eye!

PC Gamer interview Eric Barone about Stardew Valley and ask him whats next.

So far, Stardew Valley is the surprise hit of 2016. It's been one of the most-played games on Steam since it launched on February 26, on the top sellers list just as long, and has recently found itself as one of the most watched games on Twitch. That's impressive for any game, but the story of its creator, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, makes that success even more incredible.

Barone is the sole developer of Stardew Valley, singlehandedly authoring the game over a period of four years. And now, in a mere 12 days, Barone has sold over 400,000 copies of his game. In less than two weeks, he's gone from being a part-time theater usher (who's making a game on the side) to what we can only assume is a multimillionaire-and the only name behind one of the most exciting indie games of 2016.

I spoke with Barone about the unexpected success of a game he says basically started out as a Harvest Moon clone to teach himself how to code in C#. We also talked about what the money means to him, what's coming next to Stardew Valley, and a Stardew secret that no one has found yet.

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PCG: At what point in the process did the scope shift? When did you say "wow, this is actually really fun and I want to keep going?"

EB: It was actually pretty early on-but my ambitions for the game grew over time. At first I thought it was just going to be something I would release on Xbox Live Indie Games, which is kind of a free-for-all. Anyone can publish a game on there, I just thought it would be a small little thing. It would take me a couple months, I would post it to Xbox Live, and that would be it. But then-I don't know, for some reason I just kept deciding I wanted to go bigger and bigger with it.

Destructoid has a review available for Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley is a farming and life simulator. But this isn't like the more modern wave of "simulators" that have dominated the genre. This is old school, Harvest Moon-inspired simulation. It has clear roots in that franchise, but it separates itself with many other mechanics thrown on top of just farming. In fact, there's an entire season (winter) when farming doesn't happen!

Here is a typical day, relatively early on, in Stardew Valley: Wake up, water and pick the crops, refill the dog's water, and feed the chickens. Eat a snack to restore some energy. Head out into the town, check the calendar for anyone's birthday or town events, then check the bulletin board to see if anyone needs something to be done. From there, it depends on how you feel. Maybe today is a fishing day, heading to the different areas to catch all types of fish. Maybe it's an adventurous day in the mines, slaying monsters and collecting gems and ores. Or perhaps it's time to re-plant some of the harvested crops from earlier.

There are a ton of things to occupy any given day. Players start out with a huge plot of farmland and some tools. After clearing some room, it's time to get some crops and plant them. Nothing is really "tutorialized" to the player, but the game does a wonderful job of introducing the player to new things and hinting at the best way of optimizing skills.

Story cutscenes are introduced sporadically, but it's mostly up to the player to advance it as they please. According to the developer, the story does have an end, but that's not the end of the game. Luckily, the community is filled with interesting characters to make the story worth paying attention to, even if it may not seem that way at first.

Kotaku reports that the open ended farming RPG Stardew Valley has many fans already:

Stardew Valley’s Creator Has Won The Hearts Of PC Gamers

A cult fandom has already formed around Steam’s hottest farming game, Stardew Valley. At the center of it all is the game’s designer, Eric Barone. Also known as ConcernedApe, Barone is a beloved figure who is stealing the hearts of virtual farmers everywhere.

Barone made Stardew Valley on his own, and that feat plays a big part in his fans’ narrative. “One guy made this over the course of four years,” is something you will often hear from other Stardew Valley players. “ONE GUY.” It’s an observation tinged with awe and disbelief that a game as massive as Stardew Valley could be made by a single person.

I’ve been playing for nearly 40 hours and have barely scratched the surface. I’ve still got plenty of livestock to unlock, cuties to romance, fish to catch, and mines to explore. I’m on the lower end of the playtime spectrum, too. The game has actively been designed to be played for as long as the player wants, and many people are already clocking in hundreds of hours of game time.
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