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Haunted Chocolatier is the highly, highly anticipated follow-up to Stardew Valley, one of the biggest indie games of all time. But while this chocolate-making spiritual successor was announced way back in 2021, we’ve seen very little of the project, save for a handful of blog posts on creator ConcernedApe’s website. The last update came in late January, and now, just under six months later, developer Eric Barone is checking back in with a new post to reassure fans he’s still working on the game and explain why he’s shown so little.
First, Barone thanks everyone for their patience, and gives some insight into why his development process is so time-consuming. “Lately, I’ve been revisiting the recipe book for making chocolates,” Barone writes. “As with many things in the game, I’ve iterated on this many times, each time bringing it closer to its final form. To me, it’s not a simple task, as I torture myself over every last detail. This is a UI you will be using fairly often, so it has to be perfect.”
While this recipe book is one of the core mechanics, he adds that he likes to “fuss over” his whole game this way. Ideally, the game will come out with a level of polish he’s satisfied with (like how Stardew Valley is now), but that also means the process will take a long time. On that note, he says that his eye for detail and refinement is also the reason there are so few screenshots or gameplay clips in the wild.
“Side note… please excuse me, but I don’t like to share too many screenshots, or even talk about the systems in too much detail, while the game is in development,” Barone’s blog reads. “Partly, it feels like I’m serving a half-baked bread. I would rather serve a fully baked bread. Also, I know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them early, I risk disappointing players if the final product does not match their expectation.”
Haunted Chocolatier currently has no release window. While Barone said he hoped to release the game within five years back in 2025, he has since clarified that this isn’t a hard and fast date. “The bottom line is, I don’t want to give a release date,” his January update reads. “The game will come out when it’s done.”
For more Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley, you can check out guest contributor Ana Diaz’s in-depth interview with Barone from issue 378, published online in May. For more on why Haunted Chocolatier is one of our most anticipated games, check out our collection of our Most Anticipated Games of 2026 (And Beyond) from issue 375.