Stardew Valley going it alone after creator splits with publisher

Stardew Valley's creator Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, will begin self-publishing the game later this month following a partial split with publishing partner Chucklefish.

It's an amicable divorce: Barone said on his developer blog that he needed Chucklefish when he released the game because he was an industry novice, but now he feels like he's ready to go it alone. "I think self-publishing is the end-goal of most indie developers, and I’m happy to be in a place where that’s possible," he said, adding that we can expect more announcements about the future of the game "soon".

In a statement, Chucklefish—who will continue to publish mobile and Switch verisons of the game—said it was "proud to be a part of the Stardew Valley story".

Released in early 2016, Stardew Valley remains one of the best games you can play on PC right now. It's endlessly relaxing, has an active mod scene, and its glorious food is inspiring real-life chefs. If you're after tips and tricks, they're this-a-way.

Samuel is a freelance journalist and editor who first wrote for PC Gamer nearly a decade ago. Since then he's had stints as a VR specialist, mouse reviewer, and previewer of promising indie games, and is now regularly writing about Fortnite. What he loves most is longer form, interview-led reporting, whether that's Ken Levine on the one phone call that saved his studio, Tim Schafer on a milkman joke that inspired Psychonauts' best level, or historians on what Anno 1800 gets wrong about colonialism. He's based in London.