As Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone’s next new game, anticipation has been building year-on-year for Haunted Chocolatier since it was announced in 2021, meaning expectations could get even higher in 2025. With Barone’s first game, Stardew Valley, joining the ranks of legendary indie hits like Hollow Knight and Undertale, it was no surprise that the developer’s next game getting announced would capture the gaming community’s attention. Yet with only one trailer and a handful of official details revealed via Barone’s blog or social media, fans are left waiting to learn something more substantial about Haunted Chocolatier.
Fans would be wise to manage their expectations regarding news about Haunted Chocolatier, given that ConcernedApe continues to work on Stardew Valley, as indicated by its large-scale 1.6 update. Given that Barone is still currently a solo developer, this could mean the future of Haunted Chocolatier will remain just as unclear in 2025 as it was in 2024 if it has to compete with Stardew Valley. With this in mind, the best hope players might have for 2025 is for Barone to confirm new Haunted Chocolatier details, if only to reassure players who have been left waiting.
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Why Stardew Valley 1.6.9 is a Big Deal for Haunted Chocolatier
Good news for Haunted Chocolatier fans might be on the way soon as Stardew Valley could be nearing the end of its continued development.
Players Should Expect Something Different From ConcernedApe’s Haunted Chocolatier
Based on everything revealed about Haunted Chocolatier so far, either by a trailer or by Barone himself, while the game may share the same visual design and in-game universe, the upcoming game could be a significant departure from Stardew Valley. For instance, in addition to an all-new setting and a range of new characters, Haunted Chocolatier seems more supernaturally inspired than Stardew Valley, such as focusing on the game’s ghosts as part of the player’s chocolate-making business. In line with this, although Haunted Chocolatier will remain within the sim genre, it will depart from the niche of Stardew Valley‘s farm sim.
Another fundamental change from Stardew Valley will be Haunted Chocolatier‘s emphasis on combat and a darker atmosphere, with the game’s trailer revealing examples of the upcoming game’s enemies and bosses. From the revealed gameplay, Haunted Chocolatier appears to be a single-player game with a stronger focus on the mystery surrounding its setting and characters. Since it’s not clear if the two games share a world, it’s hard to say if fans can expect returning Stardew Valley characters like Grampa. Though details may be subject to change over the next year, Haunted Chocolatier is at least promising a different and even more mature experience to the likes of Stardew Valley.
What Haunted Chocolatier’s News Could Look Like in 2025
However, given that comparisons between Barone’s first and next game are highly likely, Haunted Chocolatier has only been able to give players a small insight into the upcoming game, such as revealing new gameplay mechanics, locations, or characters. In order to put distance between it and Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier‘s release strategy could try and be more proactive during 2025, both to reassure players awaiting its release and to reaffirm its own identity. Though an official release date is unlikely to be confirmed in 2025, Barone could switch things up from 2024 and reveal more about Haunted Chocolatier instead of focusing on Stardew Valley as hinted at on social media.
For instance, while Haunted Chocolatier is ideally still in development, despite Barone’s comments about the game “getting dusty on the shelf” in a recent blog post, this shouldn’t stop the developer from sharing existing gameplay, concepts, and more. This could include information about previously seen characters from Haunted Chocolatier‘s trailer, such as Burk, Maddie, and Jett, or Barone could reveal other bosses aside from the boss fight from the same trailer. Ultimately, however, with Barone continuing to update Stardew Valley, expectations for news about Haunted Chocolatier should be managed during 2025.
Haunted Chocolatier
Haunted Chocolatier is an upcoming adventure game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). The game is currently set to feature a lush explorable world, chocolate making and cooking, a spooky theme, and more. There is currently no release date or time period for the game.
- Platform(s)
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Microsoft Windows
- Released
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2025-00-00
- Engine
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MonoGame
- ESRB
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e