Stardew Valley defied odds and became a massive hit among farm and life sim fans. With its charming aesthetic, cast of memorable NPCs, and potentially endless gameplay loop, there's a lot for fans of the genre and pixel-art games to enjoy.
While the game is available for purchase and download the same as always, some changes are afoot behind the scenes. Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, has now revealed that he is now the sole publisher of Stardew Valley.
Previously, Stardew Valley's development was handled by ConcernedApe, and its publishing was taken care of by Chucklefish. According to a blog post of its own, Chucklefish originally reached out to Barone when the game was still in the early development stages about working together and publishing the title. Since then, the two entities have worked together as the game received multiple patches and updates, including the addition of Stardew Valley's multiplayer.
According to Chucklefish, the two originally agreed upon a two year contract, after which time the publication rights would return to Barone. Chucklefish was likely a big help in the game's release on consoles and mobile, especially since Barone typically works by himself. Constructing a game of Stardew Valley's size and scope is already impressive for a single developer, so launching one's first game with the assistance of an established publisher just makes sense.
Chucklefish has previously been mired in some controversy, after allegations arose that the company was exploiting volunteers for work without pay. However, the allegations are completely separate from Stardew Valley and ConcernedApe. ConcernedApe did share a few words on the situation, noting that he believed that developers deserved to be compensated. It was around this time that ConcernedApe took back the publishing rights to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game, leaving only the Switch and mobile versions with Chucklefish.
Following ConcernedApe's announcement, the developer explained that fans of the game shouldn't expect to see any major changes from this development. He's still working on bringing the 1.5 Stardew Valley update to mobile devices, though there are still complications to work through. Any future updates to all versions of the game will be shared and published by ConcernedApe, but the process should be seamless for anyone who owns the game.
ConcernedApe's upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier, will likely also receive the self-publishing treatment. However, that game's release window is still unknown, and Barone mentions elsewhere in the Twitter thread that his primary focus is releasing 1.5 for mobile, so it may be a while before fans see anything new about the new game.
Stardew Valley is available now for mobile, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
Source: Chucklefish