Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone is one of the most successful independent game developers in recent history.
The creator of Stardew Valley went from virtually unknown to one of the most recognizable names in the industry. Stardew Valley’s charming environment, memorable characters, and diverse gameplay cemented it as arguably the best farming sim of its generation. It also establishes ConcernedApe’s upcoming RPG Haunted Chocolatier as a must-see game.
But who is ConcernedApe and what can fans look forward to from him in the future? Here’s what’s known about him.
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It has been estimated that ConcernedApe has made over $30 million from Stardew Valley.
Though it’s impossible to pin down an exact amount that ConcernedApe has made from Stardew Valley, he has most certainly made tens of millions of dollars from it. According to a statement on the official Stardew Valley website, the game has sold over 20 million units across all platforms.
Stardew Valley was initially released through publisher Chucklefish and has been distributed through digital storefronts. This means that multiple entities have been able to shave off the top of the revenue generated by the game. Regardless, he is likely very wealthy given the sheer number of units moved.
ConcernedApe separated from Chucklefish in order to self-publish Stardew Valley across multiple platforms.
According to ConcernedApe, he began self-publishing the game on PC and consoles in December 2018. The relationship between the two seemingly became strained in September 2019.
That month, a former Chucklefish developer said that they worked on Starbound on a volunteer basis when they were 16 years old alongside a dozen other individuals. They stated that they worked on the game for hundreds of hours in hopes of getting a job with the company. They ultimately saw no return on this, despite the game being a commercial and critical success.
These claims were corroborated by a number of former members of Chucklefish. Chucklefish did not deny the claims in statements after the allegations were made. The allegations likely had no impact on ConcernedApe’s plans for Stardew Valley, as he was already self-publishing the game on most platforms by that point.
ConcernedApe and Chucklefish completely split in March 2022 when he began self-publishing Stardew Valley on mobile platforms. Though ConcernedApe was seemingly critical of the allegations against Chucklefish, the company praised him on its website following the finalization of their separation.
ConcernedApe is no longer updating Stardew Valley.
In a question and answer session with fans, ConcernedApe stated that his development efforts were entirely being focused on Haunted Chocolatier. He acknowledged that he still has some ideas for possible future Stardew Valley content but there are no apparent plans to realize them.
Though he could hypothetically change his plans, odds are that Stardew Valley 1.5 will be the last significant content update for the game. Some bug fixes have dropped since then, but fans shouldn’t expect more than that.
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