As development continues on Haunted Chocolatier, the next project from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe, many fans are hungry for information about the project. Little has been confirmed about Haunted Chocolatier, and Eric Barone—also known as ConcernedApe—has explained that his next game will not be a sequel to Stardew Valley. Even if it is a new world from the one found in Stardew Valley, there may be one NPC that could make an appearance in Haunted Chocolatier.
Through a trailer for Haunted Chocolatier and some artwork and development screenshots released by ConcernedApe, fans can identify parallels between Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley. The art style and many gameplay aspects share similarities, indicating Barone's unique style as a developer and artist. However, there is one NPC from Stardew Valley that has a higher chance to appear in Haunted Chocolatier thanks to a few hints and the character's role in Stardew Valley.
Who is Mr. Qi?
Mr. Qi is an NPC that players can encounter during their adventures in Pelican Town in Stardew Valley. He's an extremely mysterious figure, appearing to possess some amount of supernatural power and giving players a number of convoluted quests to progress the story. Mr. Qi is the owner of the casino in the Calico Desert and is the person who placed the chests inside the mines, allowing players to acquire upgraded gear and weapons during the long trek to the bottom where they find the key to the Skull Cavern.
While Mr. Qi exists in the world of Stardew Valley, he is clearly not a resident of Pelican Town, and none of the other Stardew Valley NPCs seem to be aware that Mr. Qi even exists. Mr. Qi doesn't seem bound by the same rules or existence as the other characters in Stardew Valley, and if any character from ConcernedApe's first game was to make an appearance in Haunted Chocolatier, it would most likely be Mr. Qi.
A popular fan theory states that Mr. Qi represents ConcernedApe himself, citing his omniscience of the players' actions and his access to extremely rare and magical items as evidence. If this fan theory is true and Mr. Qi is a self-insert, that makes it all the more likely that Mr. Qi could appear in Haunted Chocolatier. Additionally, a piece of artwork shared on Eric Barone's Twitter account shows drawings of confectioneries that may be available in Haunted Chocolatier.
This image, shared with the caption "assorted chocolates (haunted)" features one treat that looks eerily similar to the Qi Fruit found in Stardew Valley—a fruit crop that can only be obtained during the special "Qi's Crop" quest. Players can access the Qi Beans and grow Qi Fruit after unlocking Qi's Walnut Room on Ginger Island. While this resemblance may be nothing more than an Easter egg for fans of Stardew Valley, it also hints that Mr. Qi may exist in the world of Haunted Chocolatier as well.
Due to Eric Barone's recent announcement that he will be temporarily pausing development on Haunted Chocolatier in order to work on Stardew Valley's 1.6 update, fans will have to wait a bit longer for more news about Haunted Chocolatier. With no confirmed release date and only a few official pieces of media from ConcernedApe, players have little more than speculation to go off of when it comes to Haunted Chocolatier, but Stardew Valley lovers that were hoping to see Mr. Qi again just might be in luck when the game finally releases.
Stardew Valley is available now for Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.