Stardew Valley Follow-Up Haunted Chocolatier Gets Official Update

Published Aug 31, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT

Paul Farrelly is a Contributing Writer for Screen Rant’s Gaming section and the founder of GeekGasm.org, a site dedicated to celebrating all things gaming, from triple A blockbusters to weird and wonderful indie hits. Based in Louth, Ireland, Paul has spent years writing about games, pop culture, and tech, turning his lifelong love of gaming into a career that lets him talk (probably too much) about what makes this industry so endlessly fascinating.
He’s previously written and collaborated with several entertainment outlets, including LADbible, gaining a wide perspective on how gaming fits into today’s pop culture conversation. His work blends genuine enthusiasm with thoughtful analysis, exploring how design, storytelling, and community have made gaming one of the most creative mediums around.
When he’s not glued to a controller or keyboard, Paul’s usually spinning vinyl, plotting his next horror marathon, or debating which Resident Evil entry really reigns supreme.
 

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The follow-up game to Stardew Valley feels like it's been in the works for eons. While ConcernedApe has been secretly tinkering on the game for about 6 years, we've seen precious little in the way of updates. Well, that is until now. On August 30th, ConcernedApe took this to his website to give eager fans a much-needed update on the progress he's made with Haunted Chocolatier.

The update from ConcernedApe thanks the fans for their patience and, while he's most passionate about Haunted Chocolatier, he's not willing to rush it just for the sake of completion. He wants the game to be perfect and wouldn't dream of releasing a game that wasn't ready yet. He goes on to explain that he's very grateful to the fans for keeping the faith and teases that he's having a blast playing the game even in its unfinished state.

Official Media Page

He also mentions he has other commitments that are pulling his time, which is frustrating as he is very committed to getting Haunted Chocolatier finished and up to the quality that the fans deserve. He feels though that if he rushes it, then all his hard work will be wasted as he wants it to be the best it can be. For himself and for the fans. As Shigeru Miyamoto once said, "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."

The comments section shows that fans of Haunted Chocolatier are pretty much in unison. They too, don't want a rushed unfinished game and are willing to wait for as long as it takes. Comments like the following show such a positive community behind the game:

Just another reminder from fan that we are happy to wait however long please don't rush yourself!

i dont care if you take ten years man, do your thing and do it how you like to do it. thanks for the update!

Thank you for the update! There is no rush, just excitement! Just make the game you want to make and do it on your timeline, we support you!

Official Media Page

While it's still unclear when we'll get to run our very own confectionery shop, we can expect the gameplay to be similar to Stardew Valley. With cooking, combat, gathering, romancing, fishing and even mini-games all confirmed, Haunted Chocolatier might be the cozy game to beat all others. Aside from Blacksmith Burk and Dr. Tungston, little is known about the NPCs who inhabit the town next to the haunted castle.

With intense violence and combat expected from Marvel's Wolverine and adrenaline-fuelled shootouts and car chases in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6, Haunted Chocolatier is offering a very different change of pace for gamers. Sure, you might be great at hijacking a vehicle or turning a super soldier into a shish kebab, but can you make a near perfect chocolate cake? For a large group of fans, Haunted Chocolatier is worth the wait.