Stardew Valley creator's next game takes place on same planet but is not a sequel

I can't wait for the next game from Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone's, the creator of the brilliant, gentle farming sim Stardew Valley. Details about his future plans are sparse but during a Reddit Q&A he shed some light on his next project's setting, revealing that it will take place "on the same planet" as Stardew Valley, "although it's not a sequel or expansion in any way".

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that we should expect another pleasant countryside backdrop. Presumably, not everywhere on the planet is as idyllic as Pelican Town, where Stardew Valley takes place. Plus, the next game could be set in a different time period with different circumstances.

Barone is keeping his cards close to his chest about what the next game will involve, telling users that he doesn't want to pile on the pressure caused by premature hype. Plus it sounds like, whatever it is, is a while off. What he does say, though, is that it will build on a genre or style of game that he feels has not yet fully reached its potential, in the same way Stardew Valley did with Harvest Moon-style farming games.

"I am thinking of approaching my next game with a similar mindset to Stardew Valley—take a style of game that was never fully realized (or that changed trajectories, leaving unexplored possibilities), and carry on the tradition in my own weird way."

But away from his next project, will there be a sequel to Stardew Valley? "I would consider making a Stardew Valley 2 eventually... but not for a bit," he said.

If you loved Stardew Valley and want more of the same, here's Lauren's list of some other casual farming sims that will help you while away the hours.

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.