Gab Hernandez 
Stardew Valley was a smash-hit game like none other and its creator is looking to do it again with his new game, Haunted Chocolatier
Haunted Chocolatier is the long-awaited follow-up to Stardew Valley by game developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. Stardew Valley launched to critical and commercial acclaim in February 2016 and has maintained a massive following ever since. ConcernedApe continues to support the game with updates that expand characters, add new areas to explore, and keep things feeling fresh.
In 2021, ConcernedApe finally announced his next game and as expected, Stardew Valley fans immediately got excited. Here’s everything you need to know about Haunted Chocolatier, from its release date to whether it has multiplayer
What is Haunted Chocolatier?
Haunted Chocolatier is an RPG and simulation game about a chocolatier living in a haunted castle.
As a confectioner in a haunted castle, the player must make ends meet by gathering rare ingredients, crafting delectable confections, and selling them for a profit.
The gameplay loop on that side of the coin will be similar to Stardew Valley. ConcernedApe is developing the game solo, much like Stardew Valley. He will also self-publish the game and says he only plans on getting help for console ports. Stardew Valley was initially published by Chucklefish Games.
Haunted Chocolatier release date info
Haunted Chocolatier has no confirmed release date or estimated launch window.
ConcernedApe confirms that the game is in early development and wants to work on it peacefully without the pressure of a release date, speculative or otherwise. Since ConcernedApe is also the sole developer of the game, its development might take a while.
Haunted Chocolatier also runs on a brand-new engine, which could present some issues. ConcernedApe does say he can reuse snippets of code from Stardew Valley, so he’s not “developing in the dark.
On top of this solo project, ConcernedApe was linked to a yet-to-be-announced project with a larger team in an interview with Game Informer. Still, it’s worth noting that Stardew Valley also had a lengthy development cycle, with ConcernedApe starting work on the game as early as 2011 before its final release in 2016. ConcernedApe also halted development on Haunted Chocolatier in April 2023 to work on the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, launching on PC on March 19, 2024.
What platforms will Haunted Chocolatier come out on?
Currently, Haunted Chocolatier is only officially confirmed to be coming to PC. Console ports are almost certainly going to happen, though.
As with Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe plans to expand Haunted Chocolatier’s reach to other platforms. Stardew Valley launched on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, and mobile devices. Odds are that things will go similarly here, including with the game not launching on all platforms simultaneously.
The major question regarding the game’s list of platforms is which consoles will be actively supported by the time its release date comes. While the game looks to be similar to Stardew Valley, its development coincides with an awkward console generation. Publishers have mass migrated away from the Xbox One but many have stuck around for the PlayStation 4, and Xbox is overhauling its approach to console gaming.
While there’s little reason to expect a game that’s so demanding on hardware that it couldn’t run on a PS4, Xbox One, or Nintendo Switch, the question is whether the user base will still be there by the time ConcernedApe is done. It’s possible that some platforms won’t have enough juice to warrant the development squeeze by the time the game is actually done.
Because of this, Haunted Chocolatier is not confirmed to be coming out on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, mobile devices, or Xbox consoles.
Is Haunted Chocolatier like Stardew Valley? How is it different?
Haunted Chocolatier features similar elements to Stardew Valley but will focus more on action and roleplaying.
ConcernedApe states that his new title is also a “town game” with a colorful cast of townspeople and a business for the player to run; in this case, a chocolate shop. However, the gameplay and themes will be different from Stardew Valley.
Its gameplay will emphasize action, adventure, and mystery. ConcernedApe plans to make the game action-RPG-oriented to distinguish it from Stardew Valley. After all, Stardew Valley also featured action RPG elements with its dungeons and NPCs, but farming was always the central feature.
Haunted Chocolatier might put more focus on a narrative and action gameplay. Whether it shares a world with Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe leaves a mystery.
Will Haunted Chocolatier have multiplayer?
There are no plans to add multiplayer in Haunted Chocolatier, according to ConcernedApe.
The developer said he wants to focus solely on the single-player experience this early in development. Stardew Valley added multiplayer support two years after the game’s initial release and that may happen here as well.
There’s also the question of whether the game fits a co-op setting. A multiplayer mode might be unnecessary if the gameplay loop doesn’t support it. Unlike a farm, a chocolate shop seems downright intimate and it may not have the space to support more than one player.
Will Haunted Chocolatier be supported on Steam Deck?
Haunted Chocolatier will likely support Steam Deck.
Stardew Valley is not graphics-intensive and runs very well on the Steam Deck, something that has seen it steadily remain among its most popular games. If Haunted Chocolatier is similarly accessible, and the gameplay trailer suggests that is very much the case, it should have no issues running on Steam Deck or any other portable PC-style platforms.
If it’s incompatible with Steam Deck on launch, it would likely be remedied in a patch soon after. One of the enticing qualities of Stardew Valley was how mobile-friendly the game was, especially as a timekiller. Haunted Chocolatier could fill that same niche and given how successful Stardew Valley has been for the Steam Deck, Valve would almost certainly be willing to be more accommodating with ConcernedApe on any future endeavors.
