Stardew creator says Haunted Chocolatier leans into action and adventure

Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone says his next game, Haunted Chocolatier, is still what he calls a town game but plays as more of an action RPG. He set out the shift in a wide-ranging interview with GQ published on 12 October 2026. An action RPG here means a role-playing game built around real-time combat and character growth.

The main focus is adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful, Barone told GQ Eurogamer. The game features monsters and boss fights. He aimed the description at Stardew Valley players who go into the mines, the underground fighting area in his farming game, rather than those who stay on the surface.

He called Haunted Chocolatier a more metaphysical experience than Stardew Valley. He added that no one is playing it until he is ready to show it. The project has been in development for over four years as an entirely solo, do-it-yourself effort.

That solo method is how Stardew Valley started. Barone studied computer science at the University of Washington Tacoma, then built Stardew Valley over four and a half years in a Seattle apartment. Stardew Valley, released in 2016, has sold over 50 million copies and still regularly records over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam, the PC storefront, a decade after release GQ.

Barone named filmmaker David Lynch among his inspirations. He is keeping Haunted Chocolatier, his long-awaited follow-up to Stardew Valley, to the same solo build.

Stardew Valley marked its 10th anniversary with a sold-out concert at Hammersmith Apollo in London. A 35-piece orchestra performed music Barone composed for the game. The GQ interview was titled ‘A decade after Stardew Valley, Eric Barone is still going it alone’.

For fans, this means a clearer sense of direction and why the wait continues. Less quiet shopkeeping, more exploration and fighting. There is no release date. Barone is working alone until he decides the game is ready to be seen.