Eric Barone created Stardew Valley rather discreetly. Usually, when as a game gets created, there are millions of fans waiting for updates. Here there were none. There were no online discussions analysing every screenshot. And certainly no strangers asking when the game would be finished whenever he appeared on the internet. It was simply a project he started while trying to improve his programming skills.
Then the game got released and a staggering amount of people played it. And with that, Stardew Valley became one of the most successful independent games ever released. Farms were built, players married villagers and spent an unreasonable amount of time deciding on what vegetables should be grown. Some also discovered that managing a fictional farm can become more stressful than having an actual job. Who would have thunk it?
But success has created a new problem for Barone and well… he now has to follow it.
Barone is developing Haunted Chocolatier, a new game about running a chocolate shop inside a haunted castle. All I can picture is a chocolate fountain dripping all over the furniture and the floor. That would be my kind of game. In this game, players will gather ingredients, create chocolates and meet the people living nearby. There will also be ghosts, monsters and boss battles. Ideal for chocolate junkies, apart from the monsters and ghosts.
Barone recently admitted that creating the game has become difficult because of the gigantic expectations set by Stardew Valley. And although he wants to recover the feeling he had while making his first game, he must understand that is almost impossible now.
“Back then, there was no audience, there was no precedent,” he said. “Everyone’s watching me, and if I don’t do things a certain way, it might disappoint millions of people.” GamesRadar
Well, no pressure then.
The situation captures something we do not always consider about creative success. Making something people love should make the next project easier, right? Well, at least, that is how it looks from outside. Barone has the experience, money and freedom to work without a publisher standing behind him.
But freedom does not remove expectation. Instead, it gives expectation a promotion.
When Barone made Stardew Valley, he had the freedom to follow an idea without wondering how millions of people might react. If something did not work, he simply changed it. He had the freedom to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted without having to provide any explainations. But all of that has changed. Now every decision carries the weight of the previous game. Fans are looking for something new and familiar in Haunted Chocolatier. They want another comforting town filled with interesting characters, without repetition. Wow, talk about a collection of completely conflicting demands.
The new game will share some qualities with Stardew Valley. Barone describes it as another “town game”. Players will settle somewhere new, meet residents and work towards different goals. But there will be a change in focus. Haunted Chocolatier leans more towards an action RPG. Players will explore dangerous places, find equipment and become stronger. Barone says it is partly for the people who enjoyed entering the mines in Stardew Valley.
I suppose running a chocolate shop was not demanding enough.
Most people would be concerned about stock, rent and whether customers liked the truffles. Barone decided the chocolatier should also fight monsters.
The game still has no release date. That is intentional, by the way. Why? Because Barone says he wants to work without the pressure of a deadline. He is also developing the game alone and plans to publish it himself. Haunted Chocolatier
In August, he apologised for the long wait but said he would not compromise on quality by releasing the game before it was ready. He also confirmed that development has been productive. Now that should be good news. But as we know, the internet does not always handle waiting with grace. A long development period creates more time for people to imagine their perfect version of the game. And when Barone eventually releases the version he actually made, there could very well be a good amount of conflict.
Haunted Chocolatier not only has to become a good game. It must survive comparison with something players have loved for a decade. It has to compete with a game that many of them associate with comfort, escape and hundreds of hours spent arranging a farm that remains far more organised than their real homes. Barone cannot recreate the conditions that produced Stardew Valley. He is no longer an unknown developer making a project while nobody watches. Because all eyes are on him now.
But perhaps trying to satisfy all of them would create a game that satisfies nobody. The best thing Barone can do is make the game he wants to play. That approach worked rather well the first time. And yes, fans may need to wait a little longer.
The chocolate will arrive when it is ready.
Hopefully, the ghosts have not eaten all of it by then.
