Stardew Valley creator announces new marriage candidates on game's 10th anniversary

The cult classic video game "Stardew Valley" just marked its 10th anniversary on Wednesday, and its creator, ConcernedApe, was sure to join the celebration.

In a YouTube video, ConcernedApe, whose real name is Eric Barone, shared exciting news about the upcoming 1.7 update: there will be two new marriage candidates.

Players of the beloved farming simulation game will soon be able to romance Pelican Town's blacksmith, Clint, and Oasis shop owner Sandy, who lives in Calico Desert.

Barone said he didn't want to reveal too much about what's coming in the 1.7 update, but assured he's working on it.

"Thank you so much for supporting Stardew Valley over the past 10 years, for all the mods, the fanart, all the letters and the comments you've made to me telling me how much Stardew Valley has meant to you," he said.

"It's meant a lot to me too. It's really given me a lot of purpose in life. I'm really grateful to you to for making this a reality for me. Thank you so much," he added.

In the same video, Barone looked back on the development of Stardew Valley, which was called Sprout Valley during its initial development in 2012. He showed the changes the game went through over the course of four years of development, until it finally launched on February 26, 2016.

"A lot was riding on this, because if it flopped, I would have been four and a half years behind my peers with no money and no job experience," he said. "It would have been pretty depressing."

Barone introduced the 1.6 update in March 2024, which brought in new pets, new festivals, and new outfits, among many others.

In Stardew Valley, players take on the role of a burned out corporate employee who inherits their deceased gradfather's farm in Stardew Valley.

ConcernedApe has also been working on a new game called Haunted Chocolatier. —JCB, GMA Integrated News