Stardew Valley Is Getting Major Additions Years Later
Stardew Valley is getting an update from the original creator of the game.
Stardew Valley, a 2016 game, is getting a huge update years after its release. We wouldn’t count this as one of the numerous mysterious new updates that we’ve recently seen from hardware and software manufacturers, and we’re not really sure whether the upcoming content classifies as a DCL or a simple patch. Whatever the case is, gaming fans are thrilled.
According to Kotaku, the creator of Stardew Valley, Eric “Concerned Ape” Barone, has taken his time off other projects, which include working on Haunted Chocolatier, to personally oversee and work on the development of the upcoming update. Barone stated that the upcoming update mostly benefits modders, as it would make the game much easier to mod. However, he also added that there would be new game content, whose scope is somewhat limited compared to the previous version update for the game.
The previous update to Stardew Valley brought the game version to 1.5 and came to the PC in 2020, a whole year before it made it to the mobile platforms, as the developer had to completely rewrite the update for mobile. That particular update was quite big and could be considered as an actual DLC since it doubled the content that was previously already present in the game, prolonging the game’s seven-year-long lifespan by a couple of years. This new update, though only a fraction in size, is likely to do the same for one particular reason—it empowers modders.
Modding is a really important sub-culture of gaming, as it allows fans to act as third-party creators and create additional content for the game. Nintendo believes that this practice is basically copyright infringement, which previously led to the company removing its popular games from a tournament. But the rest of the gaming world actually loves mods, as they typically add new content and prolong the game’s life. Modding is so vast that companies such as CD Projekt RED made special mod installers that allow the community to enjoy this fan-favorite mode.
We can see this happening with Stardew Valley in the future. If the update is meant to empower modders, it would be nice to see a standardized, streamlined way to install third-party mods into the game and improve gameplay. Whether or not the developer actually plans to implement such features is for them to decide, but we believe that the more power gamers have over content, the better. Just look at the mods for Elden Ring—you can actually play as Harry Potter if you can’t decide between Hogwarts Legacy and the Elden Ring.
Unfortunately, other details regarding the Stardew Valley update remain a mystery. The exact amount and the specifics of the content aren’t disclosed by the developer, and ConcernedApe hasn’t disclosed the official release date for the update—but considering that the developer is shifting its entire focus on the game, players could expect the update in the near future. Stardew Valley is currently available on PC, Android, iOS, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation Vita platforms.
