ConcernedApe’s next title will not be a spiritual sequel to Stardew Valley, but Haunted Chocolatier has already left the indie simulation game’s playerbase both excited and intrigued. Unfortunately for gamers and critics alike, ConcernedApe has made it abundantly clear that Haunted Chocolatier won’t be released any time soon.
Early access is a tool that many indie games use to hype up a release, teasing gamers with just a taste of what a game can offer. The early access model has been successful for countless indie games, but it seems that Haunted Chocolatier won’t be taking this route. Some may see this as a mistake for the title, but skipping early access may give Haunted Chocolatier a few surprising benefits.
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ConcernedApe Isn’t Interested in Early Access
Fans don’t need to speculate about Haunted Chocolatier’s early access status. ConcernedApe has been very explicit about the status of the Stardew Valley successor and his future plans for the title. Simply put, ConcernedApe is uninterested in an early access release for Haunted Chocolatier, or for any of his other projects.
The indie developer briefly discussed the topic in a now-archived interview with MVC/Develop. Gamers may recall ConcernedApe and Stardew Valley’s relationship with indie publisher Chucklefish. This partnership helped both ConcernedApe and the massively popular simulation game to proceed without the need for an early access release. Around Stardew Valley’s 2016 release date, the early access model was booming for indie games. Despite this, ConcernedApe did not want Stardew Valley to follow industry trends as he would rather provide players with what he considered to be a finished product. He also goes on to describe his own perceptions of the model in the interview, saying that he noticed a growing sense of disillusionment from consumers at the time with the early access model.
With this hard stance on early access releases and ConcernedApe’s focus on quality, finished products, it seems unlikely that Haunted Chocolatier’s release plan will diverge from Stardew Valley’s. Early access may be the right route for some indie games and developers, but it’s clearly not the model for ConcernedApe.
No Early Access Means Less Competition for Haunted Chocolatier
As mentioned, early access has been very successful for plenty of indie games and developers. But with this success comes imitators. Both Phasmophobia and Lethal Company have spawned endless imitators that they must now compete with after going viral in the early access phase. Similarly, while Stardew Valley was by no means the first indie farm simulator, the game’s popularity led to an increase in indie releases in the simulation genre. With ConcernedApe’s past success, it would be unsurprising to see Haunted Chocolatier face similar competition if the indie action adventure RPG had an early-access debut.
By releasing as a complete title, not only will ConcernedApe debut the game on his own terms with a product he is proud of, Haunted Chocolatier will only see new competition after a complete debut. ConcernedApe is sure to see other hurdles after Haunted Chocolatier, but by skipping early access, there is one less hurdle for him and the game to clear.
Haunted Chocolatier is still in the early stages of development. Considering the emphasis ConcernedApe places on quality content, it seems that the game may be in development for quite some time. Comparisons between Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier will likely run rampant upon release, with their release models also facing this comparison. Ultimately, time will only tell how successful Haunted Chocolatier becomes, regardless of an early access release or not.
Haunted Chocolatier