"I'm not a professional" – Stardew Valley creator reveals the secret behind his games' heartfelt charm

Eric Barone, known by his pseudonym ConcernedApe, admitted in an interview that after 15 years of development and nearly 50 million copies sold of Stardew Valley, he still feels like "a complete amateur." According to the developer, his approach to game creation remains "homemade" and far removed from industry standards of professionalism. Barone deliberately maintains this mindset to ensure his next project, Haunted Chocolatier, doesn't lose that sincerity and heartfelt quality of indie games.

The developer believes that the absence of excessive polish and presence of rough edges make his games feel alive and relatable to players. While outside specialists were brought in for multiplayer and localization work on Stardew Valley, Barone still handles the core creative process alone. He believes professional production can strip a project of its individuality, turning it into a sterile product.

Barone embraces the philosophy of perpetual learning – he's dissatisfied with his skills in pixel art, programming, and design, believing there's always room to grow.

I never consider myself a master. I feel like I'm not good enough and need to improve at everything.

Eric also dreams of making his games infinitely replayable but categorically refuses to use neural networks for content generation. He also confirmed that he once considered Stardew Valley 2 and still hasn't ruled out the possibility of creating a sequel, though he's currently fully focused on Haunted Chocolatier. For him, it's important that every new detail is handcrafted, preserving the author's unique signature.

Despite his enormous financial success and status as a cult developer, Eric Barone remains true to his roots. His example proves that success worth tens of millions of dollars doesn't necessarily transform an independent creator into a corporate machine.

Stardew Valley is available on PC and consoles.