Haunted Chocolatier Is My Silksong

[@memyselfishness]

Having actually met the man and talked with him about Haunted Chocalatier, he's definitely been working on it and doesn't want to release it until it's good and ready.

[@CheesyLizzy]

To be fair to ConcernedApe It takes a lot longer to make a game as a solo dev than when you have a dedicated development team

[@jameslwjtoler]

Team Cherry consists of three people. Technically, that means it's three times the size, but it's not like they are a full sized studio with hundreds of people working on it.

[@Foervraengd]

@@jameslwjtoler Only three people??? As an outsider I've got the impression from the behaviour of the fans that team cherry was bigger than that

[@jameslwjtoler]

@Foervraengd Makes everybody's reaction seem pretty unreasonable, doesn't it? Hopefully, we get an update on both games by the time Switch 2 rolls around.

[@nothinginteresting7558]

Stardew Valley is a money mine. They have enough money to build a dedicated development team full of hundreds of the most talented and professional individuals to focus on a single game instead of a small overworking team. This justification is as bad as it gets since it is a choice for them to build the game with as few people and resources as possible.

[@CheesyLizzy]

@@nothinginteresting7558 Sure he could But if someone is successful and wants to just continue making their own games themselves at their own pace there's literally nothing wrong with that Not everyone has to build everything into a company

[@thevioletbee5879]

Counterpoint: ConcernedApe has actually communicated about the state of the game.

[@phillnyetheplaylistguy3759]

Correct

[@meatbleed]

I see a headline like every other week of the dev saying "just gotta focus on stardew a little more, haunted chocolatier is still on hold." Latest reason i remember was for a console update

[@chromaticroses]

i’m so grateful that my big indie game that’s taking longer than one might hope im waiting for us deltarune and toby fox is so transparent with how development is going

[@oldmanbiscuit7518]

Counterpoint: if you watch the video you would have seen that he acknowledged it.

[@GreatestLeaf]

​@@chromaticroses not to mention, unlike Silksong, we've got parts of the game releasing through the years. We'll have 4 Whole chapters by the end of 2025. Love Toby 🔥

[@zaccary14]

You either get haunted chocolatier or a Metroid announcement You can’t have both silly

[@Klaxynd]

But I _want_ everything!

[@corey2232]

Chocolatier. Love Metroid, but SDV was like a spiritual awakening for me 😂 I was into Halo, Gears, Final Fantasy, Madden, GTA, etc. You know, "mature" & serious games. Then I watched someone hooked on SDV play for a while & gave it a try. My entire gaming preferences flipped!

[@tomoaries]

Oh it’s Metroid 6 then, bye Eric

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Announced: The Next Metroid Prime Is Now Haunted Chocolatier

[@Nelsathis]

Does that mean we get chocolatier news soon, if we dont get metroid today?

[@ts7844]

Stardew valley took 6-7 years to release. 3 years for haunted chocolatier is nothing. You have a wait ahead.

[@mystic6102]

5 years

[@pokepwned]

To be fair, it’s been three years since the announcement, not since the start of development

[@ts7844]

@@mystic6102 you just googled that. Stop.

[@mystic6102]

@@ts7844 Stop what?

[@itslitgamestv6827]

I think Stardew valley was actually in development for around 4.5 years. Development of SDV was announced in 2012 and released in 2016, so it couldv'e been around or a little under 5 years.

[@warehouselead]

I want Haunted Chocolatier so badly, but all the great content in Stardew Valley is very appreciated and generous.

[@Aether_Athea]

It is amazingly generous how much content was added to this game for free

[@JesseDCrespo]

It genuinely gives almost all other games devs a bad look. Between this and terraria, they are proving that paid dlc isn't needed to keep people paying their games years and years later!

[@crediblesalamander8056]

if you buy shovel knight, you essentially get three other games for free, and they're all better than the original campaign. it's crazy.

[@halcyonacoustic7366]

Nah. It sets an unfair standard that could only be matched by a wildly successful game, and I'd much rather see him be free to make different things.

[@rmo9808]

Considering I've bought the game 3 or 4 times he's doing ok by me

[@Zeverinsen]

Honestly, ConcernedApe strikes me as the kind of person who keeps adding to Stardew Valley because *_he_* likes doing it. I'm happy for him to have put out something he likes so much! It's gonna be interesting to see his take on Haunted Chocolatier.

[@lyianx]

For me, Eric can take as long as he needs. Hes earned a tone of respect and admiration for his work on Stardew, so i know when HC does release, it will be good and complete and worth the wait.

[@sirswampert9194]

And even if it isn’t, he will most likely update it until it’s perfect. There’s nothing to worry about with HC.

[@cullenmuir2707]

I will laugh my ass off if Silksong is shown at the game awards, only to show an end card that either says nothing, "coming soon", or "in development."

[@NealDotco]

that would be PAINFUL

[@ApolloDawn85]

It could be worst. Could say “has begun development.”

[@NealDotco]

@@ApolloDawn85 Nahh, they've already started development because they've released multiple trailers, the worst they could say is "coming soon" right? …right? **has flashbacks to when they restarted development on prime 4**

[@orions2908]

​@NicoOrtiz-e6r I would say 2 doesn't quite qualify for multiple lol

[@NealDotco]

@@orions2908 Yeah ur right, in my head I thought there were more bc i stopped following all of the silksong hype because in my head i was like "screw it im just waiting untill it releases at this point because 1 i dont want to get spoiled and 2 im tired of false hope, but i mean there was literal gameplay on nintendo treehouse 5 years ago they have to be close

[@DogginsFroggins]

I think you are underselling how much of a miracle Stardew is, games made by single people are insane, and Erics game is impressive even by those standards because he basically did everything. I wouldn't hold my breath, its gonna be awhile.

[@thebluehero1]

i heard he worked on it full time for years and was financially supported by his wife the entire time. He was truly dedicated to making stardew the best game it could be

[@SimuLord]

@thebluehero7319 If that's true, he married exceptionally well.

[@Dash123456789Brawl]

Stardew is exceptional even among other games made by only one person…. because it was made by only one person? Am I missing something?

[@smeartyke]

@@Dash123456789Brawl read thebluehero comment nad yes you miss something.

[@extremepayne]

At least ConcernedApe has been making visible content updates to Stardew and communicating his progress on Chocolatier. Team Cherry haven’t made anything at all public facing since… 2021 I think? Where it was a new trailer and a new interview. No Hollow Knight updates, no Silksong progress announcements, just silence

[@stilldamaged3945]

I still do think the hostility some fans have about team cherry's silence is quite in bad taste, the game will be ready when it's ready wanting a rushed project seems unwise. I have seen some people be seriously, like violently angry at the small team. it makes me sad in truth when people are so needlessly upset. certainly I can understand being upset but I feel many have taken it a bit far.

[@cluesagi]

@@stilldamaged3945 There was an incident a while back where someone affiliated with TC (their community manager, I think) snapped and angrily told fans to stop asking for progress updates. They apologized afterward but I think that contributed to the fanbase's mild impatience becoming full-blown toxicity toward the devs

[@ColtonPhillips]

​@@stilldamaged3945glad you said this. There is an entitlement problem in the games community.

[@JustBerib]

@@cluesagi The guy you're thinking of is Graig, one of the playtesters for Silksong who has been particularly vocal, who isn't super affiliated with Team Cherry. Besides that TC hasn't really acknowledged the toxicity of some of its fans, because at the end of the day they're a more vocal minority.

[@dominicyeomans8107]

No one wants them to rush. Just for them to communicate. ​@@stilldamaged3945

[@cullenmuir2707]

Haunted Chocolatier is a bit less painful of a wait because at least the creator gives updates, also Haunted Choclatier wasn't something people paid for years in advance.

[@bemblob]

Was Silksong? I don’t remember a kickstarter for Silksong. Was it a stretch goal?

[@samueldrake6138]

@@bemblobplayable Hornet was technically a Kickstarter stretch goal, yeah. But considering how much bigger a game Hollow Knight turned out to be than Team Cherry or anyone expected, I don't think many people actually care that Silksong has spun (ha) off into its own thing

[@Davey_Cakes]

I believe Stardew 1.0 took 5 years to develop so I’m thinking Chocolatier will be 2027 at the earliest considering Eric’s divided attention.

[@kaleenar963]

Also consider though, for Haunted Chocolatier Eric shouldn’t have to be constantly redoing his art and code because he already has the experience from Stardew.

[@makerof1]

Possibly will depend on how much attention he continues to give Stardew. From his latest blog post though, I get the feeling he wants to shift focus to Haunted Chocolatier.

[@corey2232]

Even though Haunted Chocolatier was official revealed 3 years ago, he's been working on it for years prior to that. Remember it was first shown off as an untitled "Stardew Valley with Magic" at a Hogwarts type place? It looked very similar to Haunted Chocolatier, only a bit less focused (and no mention of chocolate). So this game has definitely been in the works for over 5 years already.

[@Davey_Cakes]

@@corey2232 True. The bones of the game are there so the determining factor will be how far he wants to go with content.

[@heronoverdose]

It’s hard to speculate but I think a couple more years is a reasonable window for release providing the game design is solid.

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

You merely adopted the wait. I was born in it. Molded by it. I have been waiting for Mewgenics for twelve years, and I will wait twelve more if that's what it takes

[@ThatDiabeticChemist]

As a relatively new viewer (maybe close to 2 years at this point?) I had no idea how much you loved Stardew! Stardew is my all time favorite game, and in my opinion, is the pinnacle of what video games should be all about. Passion driven, only added to when the dev believes there is something of real value to add, constant free expansions and updates, support for the modding scene. It’s about as flawless as a game can get. I’m happy to wait until 2030 if it means Haunted Chocolatier meets the same standards as Stardew.

[@Mr_Mimestamp]

@@ThatDiabeticChemist Yeah, if you want to hear Arlo talk more about Stardew, check out his video on a half-decade of Switch games, or his reaction to the Haunted Chocolatier trailer!

[@DumplingDoodle]

stardew rly is just a prime example of an indie project just going right. no drama, no employee abuse, no sketchy past, no weird monetization practices, no terrible launch. it's just a really good game, with no caveats. it's such a universally lovely experience, when the worst moments of the game are simply imagining things you wish were in it, as opposed to issues you'd rather be without.

[@brycedecker7142]

Two years is definitely a long-time viewer

[@phillipalleva-cox3903]

The only time my wife has ever seen me yell was the announcement of Metroid Dread....Explaining to her I have waited 19 years for that game was kinda funny.

[@Klaxynd]

I try to avoid yelling because my family gives me funny looks, but the Sora for Smash announcement and Metroid Dread announcement got me howling. 😆

[@queenmimic7772]

I’ve bought Stardew on three different devices just for ease and I still don’t think I’ve given that man enough money

[@DanielZeal]

Same. Whenever I see it in the eShop best sellers list, it brings me so much joy to know that people still buy it. The steam numbers are wild too, there are about 50k people playing it on Steam as I'm writing this.

[@Che1ito]

Same and I've only spent about $34 total for the 3 payments. Less than some games I've bought.

[@RykerJones28]

I've bought it on mobile, Xbox, PC, switch and bought it for my partner and my daughter.

[@kitkatwitch]

The three years of waiting for Haunted Chocolateer are just a little drop in the waiting we need to do. I am thoroughly convinced that Concerned Ape showed us that announcement much earlier than he really wanted, to quiet all the people speculating and assuming that other games were his next game. At the time, Chucklefish studios was publishing that witchy game with a similar aesthetic (WitchBrook?) and SO Many people were talking about it like it was Concerned Ape's because they had the same publisher. But it had nothing to do with him! The best way to clear the air was to announce what he was ACTUALLY working on. But he announced it years earlier than I think he would have liked. So, in my mind, something like next year is where the wait for HC should actually start. Im confident we are at least 3 years away, and more likely 4. I think we saw the announcemt years early.

[@DJWoozie]

2:29 You captured everything i want from a devs anthology or game series I like. "Same Gameplay, same universe, different idea" Why is this so underutilized?

[@smeartyke]

Cuz most of them sucks.....

[@DJWoozie]

@@smeartyke they still fall under underutilized

[@xthekeymakerx1594]

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times. I does not matter whether this game comes out tomorrow or 10 years from now. I will play it.

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

"Harvest Moon has been garbage for years..." That is because of the weird split between the Natsune of America and Japan.

[@stilldamaged3945]

on a unrelated note, Rune factory from the harvest moon devs, (which was a large inspiration for stardew) is honestly still doing quite good, I'd even say in a few ways better than stardew, but comparing a 1 person project and a studio project is a bit unfair.

[@CelesticCF]

@honey3762 Yes. The Harvest Moon we grew up with in terms of gameplay is now Story of Seasons. The games that now have the Harvest Moon name are very different. Arlo should definitely check out Story of Seasons.

[@QuesoCookies]

I don't really get this perspective. Yeah, Harvest Moon has always been kind of weird, but that's just because it's so Japanese. I don't think anyone who had loved the genre before Stardew made it so popular and accessible has ever felt like Harvest Moon was a dumpster fire. I haven't, at least. I still feel like Stardew's biggest, glaring weakness is its storytelling, and that's something a little irreconcilable with Stardew's infinite stasis of time, so even though some things are a lot cleaner in Stardew, I don't think they're better. And I really hope - though I don't have much reason to so far - Haunted Chocolatier improves in that area, potentially by introducing some constraints on time.

[@jairpoppelwell2120]

I was an hm fan from the beginning, even the Jap only gameboy ones and some legend of the river king as well. Everything DS onwards was a growing dumpster fire. DS was glitchy to the point of being unfinishable, and the optimal gameplay was spamming turnip levels because of the ridiculous level^level profit margins, it's like an idle game economy in terms of scale. Grand Bazaar was actually one of my favorite entries and it was after this. But most the post DS entries were unplayable messes with glaring flaws. Even the Wii one, which was good in theory, had so much lag and load it wasn't really playable. Even the plain old animation of pick thing, look at things quality, pocket thing, took a couple seconds, which is bad when you have hundreds of said thing to pick...

[@Snookeyboy]

Arlo: "3 years is a long time" Metroid Prime 4: "Hold my beer"

[@literalcryptid8384]

I feel this way a bit with Mina the Hollower from Yacht Club Games (shovel knight people) coming up on 3 years since announcement in February. At least they've not been radio silent, they said it's coming soon in an interview two months ago

[@santiagoacosta3372]

Eric barone: Do you want an update on haunted chocolatier? Too bad, take 20 hours worth of new stardew valley content

[@eclipsicalbluestocking1182]

Imagine how funny it'll be if we get a new trailer tonight.

[@Kate-it1py]

Arlo does tend to manifest things…

[@Oppurtunafish]

9:14 it actually probably is referring to not just the writing like you said but actually making all of the artwork, SFX and music, which takes such an insanely long amount of time especially for one person

[@anonymous77379]

Haunted Chocolatier I'm sure will be amazing. Be patient my dear Arlo

[@TinyLadyKris]

I highly suggest Story of Seasons. Modern Harvest Moon is actually NOT old Harvest Moon. they're completely different games. like, completely different, as in, not even the same studio. not even the same developers. not even the same owners. the IP is completely different. Not as in "the IP changed" but that it's straight up a different game completely. It's like if someone released Wipeout games even though they weren't the original developers, weren't a part of the studio, they just started RELEASING new wipeout games that weren't even good, without permission. The problem was that the people translating "Story of Seasons" called it "Harvest Moon" and then when Story of Seasons decided they didn't like their localizations and pulled out, the LOCALIZERS started making "Harvest Moon" games separate from "Story of Seasons" the OLD Harvest Moon games ARE Story of Seasons games. THEY'RE the same developers. Story of Seasons is actually pretty darn good. Modern Harvest Moon, made by completely different people, is a trash game.

[@straightjak1t]

Haunted Chocolatier has been my most anticipated game since it’s announcement. I hope I’m alive for it. I’ve pledged to buy 4 copies just to support him. I’m so looking forward to it…❤

[@Harmonia96]

You spent all luck points last year, Arlo. You gotta grind some more

[@macaronsncheese9835]

Lest we forget, Stardew itself was first announced in 2012, with a gameplay trailer (heck, including gamplay elements we never even got), and officially released four years later in 2016. I'm not too worried about Haunted Chocolatier.

[@laurenvelentzas5044]

That is the realest title Arlo’s ever written

[@SakuraStardust]

the Stardew b-roll made me think this was some spooky SV update or dlc I was unaware of lol Update: Watched the whole thing and I now need Haunted Choccolatier too. I'm sold

[@Klaxynd]

What are you waiting for? I dunno, something amazing I guess... Me too kid... Me too.

[@Morbazan125]

I’ll happily wait however long it takes

[@ChrisFV]

If you want a similar experience from stardew to hold you over try fields of Mistria. It’s the same concept but extremely well polished. The progression system is really fun. It takes a lot of things from animal crossing adding a museum, but catching and the same fishing mechanics. And the NPCs are so goood, everyone is so likeable and hang out with each other, even if you’re not there, the town feel truly loved in.

[@RosePosiepuddingpie]

Also Coral Island! Both are so good!

[@kayleighdriessen]

Atleast ConcernedApe and Team Cherry each take the time to put effort into their future games even if it feels like agony to wait.

[@geminijinxies7258]

I do remember your very positive reaction to the reveal of Haunted Chocolatier but WOW it's been 3 years now?!

[@Dash123456789Brawl]

At least Haunted Chocolatier has ALWAYS been ‘a long time off;’ Meanwhile Silksong devs said "It can't be too much longer, surely!" back in 2022, shortly ahead of a re-announcement trailer and a claim that it would be released within the next 12 months. That means that for a significant portion of the wait for Haunted Chocolatier, Silksong has already been effectively past its’ release date.

[@blakeapher2178]

I hadn't been stardew in so long and picked it back up with the new update and I'm having a blast again

[@properjellydontbeproper3652]

I think he does what he does cuz he already has enough money so he’s able to be generous & work on video games not for just money but pure passion & community

[@i8dacookies890]

Animal Well, Stardew Valley, and Balatro are all recent examples of solo dev successes, but the OG one is Cave Story.

[@Serovious]

0:33 just like terraria game devs, they’ve been tossing out massive updates for years

[@YukikoAimiyo]

God, I feel like I've been waiting for Haunted Chocolateir for so long.

[@CroakPad]

Has it really been 3 years since the announcement? Time flies.

[@deebzscrub]

Everyone needs an upcoming game that gets them to put clown makeup on for every time a major game event comes around. Now if you'll excuse me I need to put on my Metroid Prime 2 Remastered and Silksong clown makeup for the Game Awards tonight,

[@michaelnelson1127]

Geez. Arlo wants the chocolate so much that I’m expecting him to quote the SpongeBob meme.

[@DumplingDoodle]

i forced myself to forget about this game. it was the only way i could survive the wait. why have you done this to me, arlo?

[@planescaped]

My white whale was the bachelor's path in Pathologic 2. However since Pathologic 3 was just announced I'm sitting pretty.

[@Aether_Athea]

I actually haven’t heard about this game to my knowledge gonna watch a trailer now as that sounds amazing, also it is always good to hear that significant development has been done to the game since the trailer and hoping for you that more development updates and eventually a release window isn’t so far away!! Edit: Okay yeah that looks amazing based on the trailer

[@tylerconey5613]

I’ve been so excited for haunted chocolatier since it was announced 🙏 praying for news soon

[@inajosmood]

Yeah, you also shouldn't forget Stardew Valley made half a billion at least! So I can understand his sense of responsibility and commitment. It's wonderful that he keeps caring so much instead of ditching it (which would be totally acceptable)

[@Donirexian]

I'm glad someone finally said it. I love Eric and all the work he's done for the farming sim community, especially those who can't afford bigger and more expensive games. I bought the game way back in 2017 when I didn't have much money and even then Stardew was well worth the $15 it still costs now. I appreciate the updates, but I wish he would've put those things on the back burner since Stardew is technically a completed game with a story (at least one good enough for farming sims), characters with development, lots of activities, and a very strong modding community. Stardew is amazing, but I want something fresh. Especially since I like farming sims with a mix of content like Rune Factory and at least one boss is confirmed in the game, I hope he starts working on it more soon.

[@TheMightySceptile]

I feel like he probally used Stardew valley game design/code as a jumping off when starting Chocolateer. So everytime he improves upon something in HC that he thinks could also improve Stardew he feels compelled to go back and fix that game too.

[@tomoaries]

I don’t envy him, I feel like he must have a huge hesitation *because* it’s gonna be something so new and *because* Stardew is *so* good.

[@Flower_Mom]

This is how I feel about Oddity. I've been waiting for it since back when it was still a Mother fangame.

[@WumboJumbo96]

For the longest time my "Silksong" was Zone of the Enders 3. The ZOE games were a couple of awesome mech action games made by Kojima Productions for the PS2. But in the early 2010s Kojima finally announced they were working on a follow up to that series. They even showed some concept art to get people hyped up. But Konami canceled it because the HD collection didn't sell well enough to justify it in their eyes. And obviously once Kojima Productions left Konami in 2015, any hopes of ZOE 3 getting made were crushed into dust.

[@owonapikins]

I don't know why but Arlo playing Stardew Valley makes me happy

[@jeshirekitenkatt1212]

yea i'd just take watching arlo play stardew and be pretty content tbh

[@deadlyk12538]

Imagine playing co-op stardew with arlo

[@justsomeannoyingredpanda]

Bought the game once for only $15, continued to play the game for hundreds of hours. It's such an amazing game. The fact that the game regularly goes on sale up to 50% is such a steal. And it is! Concerned Ape has all the money he needs, but I don't care, he made a great game with multiple huge updates so TAKE MY MONEY.

[@blorglord]

arlo doesnt really understand game development if he thinks 3 years is a long time. yes, 3 years feels like a long time FOR YOU. game devs take 5 or 6 years minimum nowadays to produce a perfectly polished good game. it isnt 1990 anymore, you cant crank out a licensed spinoff in 6 months and call it a day. games take insane amounts of money and time and especially moreso when he has other projects and a life to attend to

[@epicturtle57]

I’m so exited for both, and considering I gave up hope on Silksong long ago Haunted Chocolater is the next long wait for me. I actually haven’t played too much Stardew but Chocolater just seems like such a “me” game.

[@matthewmatthew981]

Remember, if you're ever getting tired about waiting for Silksong, remember that Warhammer 40k fans have been waiting over 30 years for plastic versions of the Warp Spider kit. And it just got updated.

[@Asiago9]

The part about 1.6 being a small bug fix update, then snow balling into a huge update really hits as a Terraria fan, because most major updates have started out as small bug fixes, before snow balling, I'm half hoping that Concerned Ape doesn't fall into the same trap as Re-Logic

[@Mr_Mimestamp]

I love Stardew Valley, but I _also_ love store management games. I know the moment this game releases, I will dedicate hundreds of hours to it. Unfortunately, it still seems pretty far away. At least with Silksong, we know it’s pretty far along. Haunted Chocolatier could be at any point in development, given Eric is also working on Stardew Valley, and we don’t know how he’s splitting his time.

[@aturchomicz821]

Stardew walked so _Final Profit: A Shop RPG_ could run?😅😅

[@Ben-dt4ox]

Us Deltarune fans feel you on this one

[@RosePosiepuddingpie]

Not really? We have confirmation that chapters 3 and 4 are coming out next year. We may not have an exact date but we have a timeline.

[@blayedd_]

with how much you love Metroid, Silksong should be your Silksong

[@kingstrojek9937]

I can almost guarantee that if he released a unfinished version for us to play while he works on it even in its unfinished state would sell like crazy

[@MayFire55]

*rolls eyes in Deltarune* You and me both, man.

[@henrydumont5470]

This video is such a great representation of how I’ve felt these past few years. I just want it so bad I feel like it just seems so fun in concept.

[@ChrisFV]

I’ve been waiting for N1rv-an-A since 2018, I know the struggle man

[@SkyDX]

Just a small point, the recent Harvest Moon games aren't really Harvest Moon games, Natsume basically got the name but not the "game". The actual Harvest Moon games are now called Story of Seasons and still good

[@lemontonk]

Arlo concerned ape actually talks to people. Team cherry doesn’t. That is the difference you fail to realize. Do not compare these two

[@InJeffable]

I'll see your Haunted Chocolatier and raise you an Eternal Darkness sequel. Nintendo has been sitting on that IP for TWENTY-TWO YEARS.

[@corey2232]

I have a feeling there's some kind of rights issue where they may need Dennis Dyack's approval or shared ownership of the license or something... Kind of like with Earthbound/Mother. Because there's no good reason they've sat on that IP for all this time, despite how beloved it is.

[@palmpact]

"THIS... ISN'T... HAPPENING!" - me when Nintendo still hasn't done anything w/ Eternal Darkness

[@CelesticCF]

That sounds more like the Mother series.

[@silvergames8798]

3 years is almost nothing now..

[@gilroyscopa]

A sign, that we're all getting old.

[@Phirestar]

What I’ve learned in my time following indie game development is that we, the gaming community, have a real problem with _underestimating_ how long the games we want to play take to create. I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum on this. On the one hand, you’ve got titles like Silksong that go long periods of time in between updates and it feels like it’s never going to have a release date. And yeah, I get how frustrating that can be. But at the same time, I myself followed Stardew Valley for three years prior to its launch, and it was so disheartening to see Eric constantly be like, “Yeah, it’s coming late 2013.”, “Yeah, it’s coming early 2014.”, “Yeah, it’s coming mid/late 2014.”, “Yeah, it’s coming early 2015.” That was the case for this game’s development cycle, where it was a continuous string release windows followed by delays. And that’s before mentioning the fact that Stardew Valley was originally supposed to launch with multiplayer day one, and had ConcernedApe not gone back on his decision with that, it would’ve been _two more_ years before it finally came out in 2018. Looking through some of the games I’ve played previously, it often surprises me just how long they took. It’s helped me to realize that 5-8 years is not at all an uncommon occurrence, even in the indie space.

[@elio7610]

The big problem with game release delays is not just having the patience to wait for the release but also the constantly evolving technology. Expectations get higher every year, a delay does not just give the developer more time to work but also potentially adds more work to do as new systems come out that the game will need to be compatible with to reach a wide audience and general quality standards increase so lots of stuff may need updating or even reworked entirely.

[@Jamandabop]

This title is going to be very silly when Silksong is at the TGAs tonight. (plllllllllleeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzz)

[@bennycaustic5102]

Do you have any Australian relatives? Randy Feltface wouldn't happen to be a distant cousin?

[@heath6802]

Would be a dream collab, though Randy isn't as family friendly as Arlo, it would still be a delight

[@redlink8840]

stardew valley, terraria, and shovel knight are peak examples of free content making games super successful

[@aturchomicz821]

Minecraft? Urbek? WR:SR?

[@DJWoozie]

He may be pulling the Bungie approach when they used Reach as a test bed for Destiny. He could be testing new features in Stardew to flesh out in Chocolatier

[@imranzaidi1486]

As much as I am excited from Haunted Chocolatier, I am perfectly fine with Eric Barone taking as much time he needs to cook the game. I think he deserved it more than any other developer I know after making Stardew Valley and all of it's endless free updates. More than anything, I want the game to be good. I rather wait 3 more years and have an amazing game than have the game come out next year but its just meh..

[@tynamozapokemando2089]

Every gamer goes through a phase where they have to wait for a game they've always desired for a VERY long time for me that game is Fantasy life I the girl who steals time. Its a sequel to one of my favorite games on the 3ds I cherished it so much I prayed every single day since the switch was announced that they would make a sequel and 10 whole years after the og came out they finally announced it I was unbelievably happy until they continued to delay it over and over and over, and now the game will release in APRIL next year when it was supposed to drop in 2023 2 years ago.

[@miles2309]

It's wild Nintendo had to send you a copy for you to play it.

[@RykerJones28]

Stardew means a lot to me as a game so i have a lot of love for Eric for the hard work and dedication while not wanting us to spend more money. I'll wait another 3 years if necessary for Haunted Chocolatier. Hes earned so much goodwill.

[@missnintendochick]

The 1.6 Stardew Valley update is like eating dinner with my itallian grandmother. At first its just spaghetti, but then she also makes garlic bread, salad and dessert. My point being is that just like gramdma, haunted chocolatier is going to be a feast, it just needs love and time. And im happy to wait as long as i need until dinners ready.

[@6kaliba9]

Eric Barone is like a modern Leonardo DaVinci and Stardew Valley is his Mona Lisa that he can't stop working on

[@PixelCollie]

I want to make a recommendation!! I've been following an indie dev and their dev log for a game called Chef RPG. It's similar to stardew but looks super unique. Farming, gathering etc, and using that to build up your own restaurant. I'm pretty sure it's in early access right now but it looks pretty polished & has a lot of promise.

[@HunterGoodin]

Based on all of this, it sounds like Arlo would LOVE Moonlighter. Could help fill the whole in your heart for Haunted Chocolatier just a bit while waiting for it!

[@StreetSurfersAlex]

The better arlo voice - less fake and more natural

[@roxylori]

Seven years. I am expecting seven years of development for Silksong (so two more years), and I would assume the same for this. It takes a long time to create a game with one to two people. Three years is a long time for a bigger studio. We’re in this for the long haul.

[@katt-the-pig]

This video was preceded by an ad for Culver's chocolate raspberry concrete. Fun little coincidence.

[@Pokefan8263]

You just reminded me of silksong I haven’t thought about it like a month.

[@femmecomm]

as a fan of the elder scrolls games... there's no level of disappointment that can clear that bar. at least concerned ape is as generous and passionate as he is. a true blessing to video game enjoyers.

[@enzokalani]

Imagine how I feel waiting for both of these games desperately... At least ConcernedApe talks to us more then Team Cherry lol

[@ginpachi1]

Thanks for reminding me how badly I want this 😢😅

[@ayriss5336]

waiting for both of these to come out 😭 i need to finish my winter of my first farm then imma start a 1.6 meadowsland farm ahhh so excited

[@Artista_Frustrado]

"i haven't even touched the updated content of the Current game, but i NEED the new game now" Newstalgia, thyne name is Arlo

[@Artista_Frustrado]

joking aside, it does look like a better game than Stardew, but yeah Solo Dev projects are always super long. OwlBoy took 10 years to make, HoloCure has been in active development for 5 years

[@moonpixelle]

it took a long time for him to release stardew originally, he’s a real perfectionist. So I’m thinking it’ll be a long time til we get the new game lol

[@Pyhatpietarit]

Feels like a lot more and lot less and three years simultaneously

[@Danbecker000]

Moonstone Island has been scratching that "Stardew Valley But Different" itch while I wait for Haunted Chocolatier. Highly recommend if you're looking to scratch that itch.

[@courtney.p.s.]

Me too, Arlo. Me too.