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Stardew Valley celebrated its 10 year anniversary earlier this year, and after over a decade of supplying fans with feel good farming its creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has reflected over what keeps him happy and why the sim stays so affordable.
"I just genuinely value the love of the players more than the money that I could squeeze out of everyone," Barone says in an interview with GameInformer. "I just know that that would not bring me as much happiness as being beloved by the community. So it’s like, to me, it’s kind of a no-brainer. You might even call it selfish, because I’m really doing what is going to make me the happiest. You know, you can either chase the dollar or you can chase the respect and admiration of the community. And [chasing the community] is just what I prefer. That makes me feel better than having money."
There's been six major updates since Stardew Valley first released, none of which have been paid. That even goes for the massive 1.6 update which added a new farm type, bonus chickens, all accompanied by a ridiculously long list of patch notes.
It's certainly a rare trait to have in gaming right now, but Barone doesn't want it all to be blown out of proportion: "I don’t think of myself as some great, moral person. I don’t think I ever would, no matter what, because I just feel like it’s not a good way to think about yourself. It’s always better to be thinking you could do better.
"The theme of Stardew Valley itself is about returning to a more authentic way of living, more natural. I think that speaks to people across all ages. Especially as the world gets crazier and crazier. I think people look to Stardew Valley as an escape and a return to what is really human and the kinds of goals that we naturally have."
None of this is to say Barone is strapped for cash. Over the course of Stardew Valley's life the game has sold tens of millions of copies and made more money than Call of Duty in its second year. It's also gone on to inspire concerts, cookbooks, and a whole lotta merch. But a guy's got to eat, so all of this revenue is by no means a bad thing. In the end the most important aspect of this all is that a dev has been rewarded for their hard work and dedication while also valuing the player.
"Ultimately, I just want to bring magic to people", Barone adds. "I want to delight people with magical feelings. It’s the same way that when I played games when I was a kid, I felt that—and not just games but other things, movies or books or whatever—but [games] gave me this special magical feeling that it’s almost hard to describe. It’s like when you’re looking at the horizon, and the sun is coming down, there’s a certain feeling you have. It’s this ethereal feeling that it just makes—I don’t—it’s so hard to describe."
