Stardew Valley Creator ConcernedApe Reveals New 1.7 Update Plans

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Sunberry Village mod for Stardew Valley screenshot of the flower shop

Published May 12, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted.

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe is hard at work on the next update to the beloved farming sim, and he's just teased some more ideas for what might be coming in version 1.7. While Stardew Valley is over a decade old, that hasn't stopped ConcernedApe (real name Eric Barone) from continuing to add free updates.

At the same time, ConcernedApe is also working on the upcoming game Haunted Chocolatier, which is set to take things in a slightly spookier direction. It's safe to say that he's got a lot on his plate, but fans don't need to worry about his seemingly unswerving dedication to both projects.

In a new interview with Game Informer, ConcernedApe dropped some fresh details about how he plans "to keep the good times rolling" in Stardew Valley's 1.7 update. One idea that interests him is revisiting the festivals, pushing people to keep experiencing them even once they've become old hat. The Quest Board and Special Orders board are also potential targets to be fleshed out in the new update.

ConcernedApe previously revealed that new marriage candidates would be coming in the update, but he's also interested in doing more with marriage as a whole, with Game Informer saying that the developer "would like more interactions between married people." There's one marriage limit, however, that he's more apprehensive about changing. While many players are interested in already married characters like Caroline, Robin, and Demetrius, ConcernedApe is "against that on a moral level."

That doesn't mean he's not open to the idea, as it would contribute to Stardew Valley's sandbox sensibilities, but it would open up a can of worms. ConcernedApe says that the NPCs "would hate you" after breaking up a marriage, which might interfere with Stardew Valley's sense of escapism.

Haunted Chocolatier image with a character standing next to a river with a tree tower structure behind him

Although it sounds like ConcernedApe is still spending plenty of time thinking about Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier is currently the lion's share of his work. Right now, he's attempting to strike a balance of working two days a week on Stardew Valley and five on Haunted Chocolatier. Switching gears between the two isn't his favorite thing in the world, "but it's just what needs to be done."

Both Stardew Valley 1.7 and Haunted Chocolatier could still be a ways off, but there's more than enough content in Stardew Valley to keep most fans occupied for the time being. If the cycle leading up to 1.7 so far is anything to go by, we can also expect more teases to be drip-fed here and there before the update finally releases.