Haunted Chocolatier: release date rumours for Stardew Valley creator's new game

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The former one-man band will be returning to his solo roots after teaming up with some other developers for various Stardew Valley updates. If you know anything about ConcernedApe, it’s that he “hates asking for help”.

Known as 'Sprout Valley' in its infancy, development was born on Haunted Chocolatier from an attempt to address changes that Barone would have made to the classic simulation game Harvest Moon. Staying to true to himself, and with ethics at the fore, Barone made sure that gameplay didn’t feature any animals being harmed. Read on for more!

What is Haunted Chocolatier?

Haunted Chocolatier is an RPG/simulation game that sees you play as a chocolatier, gathering ingredients whilst residing in a haunted castle, to produce chocolate for sale to the townspeople.

Fans can expect more information in the run-up to release with Barone stating: “Of course, there’s a lot more to the game than that, but I don’t want to get too deep into at this early stage, partly because I don’t want to be tied down to any particular concept of what the game is.”

“I haven’t really gotten to the sauce yet. That’s coming,” Barone admitted, when referring to the aspect of the game that would complement the “meat and potatoes” of the chocolatey facet already outlined.

Barone’s ad-hoc nature has been instrumental to his success (as has his music recordings) and he is fortunate enough to be his own taskmaster.

“If Stardew Valley mostly channelled the energy of the sun, Haunted Chocolatier channels the energy of the moon. Both are vital,” he added.

Haunted Chocolatier release date speculation

The Haunted Chocolatier release date has not been confirmed yet, although fans of ConcernedApe would surely love to start playing it in 2022.

Barone stated in the video’s description: “This is the next game that I'm making, but it's not going to be ready for a while still.” Fans will know that Barone likes to get his games into players hands as soon as possible, so we really are holding out hope for something playable to arrive next year, even if it's just a beta or demo.

He added: “I can’t commit to a release date yet. It’s still relatively early in development and I want to be able to work in peace without the pressure of a release date, or even an estimated release date.”

With a net worth of $34 million dollars, Barone intends to self-publish, dispelling rumours of Chucklefish handling such duties this time around.

Which consoles and platforms can play Haunted Chocolatier?

There is a 100 per cent guarantee that Haunted Chocolatier will be coming to PC, and we wouldn't be surprised to see a console release on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch further down the line. However, only a PC version has been confirmed at this stage.

Barone's previous project, Stardew Valley, could be a good indication of where things can go: it is available on Steam, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, Android phones/tablets and even the Arcade feature on Tesla cars.

Can I pre-order Haunted Chocolatier?

You cannot pre-order Haunted Chocolatier yet, but we'll be sure to update this page when you can. This means that there is no pre-order link currently, but we'll update this page as soon as we know more.

Haunted Chocolatier music

Barone has long been known for his beautiful musical scores, which add a whole other layer of greatness to his games. The music on Stardew Valley was consistently wonderful, and here's hoping that the Haunted Chocolatier music will have a similar impact on our ears.

Early signs are certainly promising – there were two songs, both just over a minute in length, featured in the first Haunted Chocolatier trailer. Barone has already reposted the songs on their own on his YouTube channel, too.

The songs don't have names yet, but you can listen to them both here – there is one above and one below, so take your pick and prepare yourself for a sweet audio treat.

Haunted Chocolatier gameplay

"I just want to make a fun game," Barone wrote on the game's official website, but he didn't go into a huge amount of detail beyond that in terms of the Haunted Chocolatier gameplay experience.

He did say this, though: "Now, you might be scratching your head, wondering exactly what type of game this is. I’m not sure how best to describe it. It’s evolving organically as I develop it, so I’m not sure where it will go.

"But at its core, the gameplay loop involves gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop. Of course, there’s a lot more to the game than that, but I don’t want to get too deep into at this early stage, partly because I don’t want to be tied down to any particular concept of what the game is."

All programming was coded using the C#/Monogame framework. And if you want to take a closer look at how the game is shaping up, along with a couple of great original songs, check out the video at the bottom of this page.

Does Haunted Chocolatier have multiplayer?

Barone has stated that he’s only developing a single-player mode and has no plans for multiplayer so far, so it might be safe to assume that Haunted Chocolatier will not have a multiplayer mode at launch.

We think that if Haunted Chocolatier emulates the success of its creator’s premier effort, then perhaps a co-op mode could be added later, with players sharing the responsibility of the inner workings of the chocolate castle.

Haunted Chocolatier trailer

The first Haunted Chocolatier trailer is here, touting itself as an 'early gameplay' showcase. Those who’d like to bathe in the nostalgia of the kind of sprite-bountiful pixel art graphics reminiscent of the 90s and early noughties GameBoy SP are very likely to enjoy this. Scored with glimmering soft synthesis, the trailer below should go some way to tiding you over, while we wait for the Haunted Chocolatier release date to appear.

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