Celebrating Stardew Valley's Fifth Birthday: A Look into the Game's Development
Stardew Valley has captured the hearts of players worldwide, with its story of simple days spent farming and forging relationships with the locals in Pelican Town proving as compelling as any classic Victorian novel. But how exactly did such a charming game come to be?
Over the last five years, ConcernedApe – the name given to Eric Barone, the sole developer of Stardew Valley – has shared glimpses into the game’s development on his blog and in interviews, but it’s still a remarkable story. Dedicating over four years to Stardew Valley alone, ConcernedApe created every piece of art, composed the soundtrack, and coded the game by himself, showcasing the unwavering commitment many developers dream of.
There are a lot of Stardew Valley facts out there, but we’ve picked out 13 that stand out, from the origins of Pelican Town itself, to ConcernedApe’s homemade development tools, and even a Stardew Valley mod so good, the developer has given it their full support.
Stardew Valley development – from ConcernedApe to Harvest Moon
Many aspects of Stardew Valley’s development are simply incredible, from ConcernedApe’s dedication to the richness of the final product, but there is one aspect in particular that stuck with me. ConcernedApe has said that Shane, one of the eligible bachelors, was not designed as a romantic interest from the beginning, but was added based on fan requests.
This is not the only time ConcernedApe has made changes based on fan feedback, with the name ‘Pelican Town’ itself being particularly interesting. ConcernedApe explains: “I was brainstorming and just came up with the name ‘Pelican Town’ – it’s a bit of a silly name, but I really liked it because it evoked the right feeling and atmosphere. I’m not sure why I liked it so much, but I remember coming up with it and thinking, ‘Yup, that’s the name’.”
ConcernedApe also drew inspiration from the Story of Seasons series, and received praise from its creator Masaya Shimoguchi for retaining the freedom that some later entries in that series had lost. ConcernedApe also considered implementing real-time progression, but decided against it for a more structured gameplay experience.
Stardew Valley art & music
It’s clear that ConcernedApe is incredibly talented, but his humility is endearing too. He developed Stardew Valley on a simple HP Pavilion desktop from Costco. When I think of ‘gamer’ stereotypes, I don’t immediately think of someone who is resourceful and ingenious, but ConcernedApe demonstrates that they are an essential part of every developer’s personality.
The amount of time ConcernedApe has invested in Abigail, one of the Stardew Valley characters, is also particularly eye-opening. Following the 1.11 update, ConcernedApe shared a development chart that detailed how much time each character received.
Stardew Valley – Pelican Town, inspiration, and a curse word
When ConcernedApe shared the development chart, he said, “Abigail received the most substantial amount of time invested in her development … she was the character I spent the most time on, and the one that I felt the need to get right.”
In an interview with PC Game Spotlight, ConcernedApe also revealed that the fishing mechanic was inspired by one-button flying barrel levels in Donkey Kong Country Returns, adding an element of skill while keeping the game accessible.
That’s all we have on Stardew Valley’s development. The game continues to charm gamers with ongoing updates and expansions, and if you want to find out more about that, we have a Stardew Valley expansions guide to help. For more tips and tricks, take a look at our Stardew Valley mods guide, or maybe test your skills in one of the best farming games on PC.
