Developer ConcernedApe has said that work on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, will continue when Stardew Valley's 1.6 update is complete.
Last week (March 20) ConcernedApe, aka Eric Barone, finally released the long-awaited and highly anticipated 1.6 patch for his popular farming simulator, which introduced a ton of exciting new content updates, including an eighth alternate farm, NPC dialogue, and festivals.
For now, the update is only available on PC via Steam and GOG, and the developer is currently hard at work addressing any ongoing issues players may be experiencing since it was released, with several small hotfixes already live.
With ConcernedApe's entire attention focused on the latest Stardew Valley update, it had some fans wondering about the developer's next title, Haunted Chocolatier, which was announced in October 2021.
ConcernedApe took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to a fan asking about the game's progress and confirmed that he will be returning to work on it after Stardew Valley 1.6 is complete (via GameSpot).
"I am eager to get back to work on it," ConcernedApe said. "But I have to see Stardew 1.6 settled, bug-free and out to all platforms first."
Update 1.6 still needs to be pushed out for Xbox Game Pass, which ConcernedApe previously said is "coming soon", as well as PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, macOS, and mobile.
Haunted Chocolatier is very similar in terms of style to Stardew Valley, like the same pixelated art style for its setting and characters, and will also feature the familiar crafting system as well as some friendly ghosts that seem to help the player manage their chocolate shop.
Development updates on the upcoming indie game have been quiet for a while. The most recent piece of news we received about the game came in the form of an X post in August 2022 alongside a single screenshot, so we'll likely have to wait a little longer for any word on a release date.
