Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone hasn't 'really' played a lot of other farming and life sims, but he appreciates the impact the game has had on the genre—'it seems to have inspired a lot more people to consider this kind of game'

Stardew Valley - The player farmer in a barn, dancing around sheep and cows with the music emote.

Stardew Valley has become the backbone of farming simulators since its launch in 2016, and the impact it had on the genre and the games that followed is clear as day. As soon as a trailer for a new farming simulator drops, someone will make a comparison with Stardew Valley, no matter how far a stretch that might be. But this impact has caused a lot of similar Stardew-esque games to be produced, which Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, is aware of.

In an interview with PC Gamer, Barone shared that he hadn't really played many other farming and life simulators, although he did give Sun Haven and Graveyard Keeper a special mention. One stood out among the rest though, but not because it looked like an attempt to be the next Stardew Valley, only because the name was similar.