The creator of the cozy farming game Stardew Valley, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, assured fans that he will keep all future DLCs and updates of the game free as long as he is in charge.
The comment came as the developer posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier to say that the console and mobile ports of Stardew Valley's 1.6 update were "still in progress." This comes as the PC release of the update came out in March 2024.
Stardew Valley's Future DLCs and Updates
ConcernedApe also said that he has been personally working on the latest update's mobile port every single da, adding that he will share when there is any meaningful news to share.
Then, a fan followed up to say that no one would complain as long as everything that is added to the game is free, according to Eurogamer.
In response, the developer said that he would never charge money for a DLC or update for Stardew Valley. Barone added by saying, "Screencap this and shame me if I ever violate this oath."
Barone's comment comes as development on Stardew Valley started more than a decade ago and the developer is still actively churning out updates. What makes this even more impressive is that the developer is basically a one-man studio.
Since the farming game's release in 2016, ConcernedApe has released both small and large updates. With every patch, there are either minor or major updates that bring a ton of new content, said GamesRadar.
Continuous Support and Content Releases
Despite this consistent support for Stardew Valley, the developer has never charged any of his game's players any money past the base game's cost. This is even more evident with the 1.6 update, which is relatively large and was given away for free.
This is something that could also apply to Barone's future games, with the closest one to fruition being Haunted Chocolatier.
While fans of Stardew Valley don't know just how many updates the game will get in the future, the developer said he could "keep working on the game forever."
However, he did admit that at some point, he has to move on to other projects and not focus too much of his time on one game. Stardew Valley's popularity is also seen in how it remains one of the best-selling games on Steam.
Many of the game's fans also argue that the developer could have gotten away with charging the full price for Stardew Valley for all of the additional content that he has released, according to Kotaku.
