Straight Outta ConcernedApe..
Hello everyone!
First, I’d like to thank you all so much for playing Stardew Valley. The game has been more successful than I ever imagined, and I’m very grateful to everyone for granting me this amazing opportunity. I can’t say it enough– the community that’s formed around this game is incredible… full of kind, talented people who have given Stardew Valley a life of it’s own. It’s really cool.
The last couple of months have been pretty wild for me. I released seven patches… with bug fixes, adjustments, and some new content here and there. In addition, I’ve been keeping up with interviews, business stuff, social media platforms, and helping people who are having issues with the game. In short, I’ve been extremely busy.
Toward the end of April the launch buzz had cooled off enough that I could afford to take a short break. It’s been nice… I’ve actually played some other games for the first time in a long while, which was fun (Final Fantasy IX, Factorio, Age Of Empires II) . I feel refreshed, and I’m ready to get back to work!
First, here is a list of what’s planned for the future of Stardew Valley:
- Version 1.1 — A substantial content update
- Co-op Multiplayer
- Localizing for non-english regions
- Mac/Linux Ports
- Console Ports
- Merchandise
Now, there’s obviously a huge amount of work involved to achieve all this… and I am just one person. I know in the past I’ve been very adamant about doing everything myself… and I still am, when it comes to game design and content. However, I’ve decided to seek outside help for some of the more technical things listed above. More specifically, I’ve accepted an offer from Chucklefish in which they will handle the porting, localization, and the technical side of multiplayer. This will allow me to focus on creating new game content for version 1.1, which I will continue to do entirely on my own.
This should result in faster overall development and reduced workload for me, while preserving my artistic control over Stardew Valley. I think it will be beneficial for everyone.
There’s no official timetable for any of this yet… Mainly I just want to let you all know that multiplayer, porting and localization are actively being worked on.
In the meantime, I’d like to give a little rundown of some things I’m planning for version 1.1:
- More late-game content
- New farm buildings
- New crops
- New artisan goods
- New advanced farming/producing mechanics
- Shane and Emily will be marriage candidates. They will also have more events and dialogue as a result.
- More marriage content for all spouses
- More events for the non-marriage NPC’s
- Improvements/Additions to mining and combat
- Ability to move buildings and other convenience features
- More bug fixes
- More secrets
- More small, fun touches to the world
(note: anything in this list is subject to change)
Well, that’s all for now. Again, thanks for all your support and thanks for reading!
-ConcernedApe
Although he has been gaming since the Sega Mega Drive launched in 1990, he still sucks at most games. When not being trash he watches French horror films, drinks herbal tea and secretly loves the music of Taylor Swift.