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Jan 29, 2026

The Switch version of Dispatch has added non-disablable censorship.

Michael Torres
By Michael Torres Video Game News and Features Editor
Last updated: Jan 29, 2026
The switch version of dispatch has added non disablable censorship

ConcernedApe: Development of Haunted Chocolatier is Progressing Smoothly

In the fall of 2021, the creator of the cult classic Stardew Valley, Eric Barone (better known by his alias ConcernedApe), announced his new game, Haunted Chocolatier. Since then, the developer has only shared occasional details about the project, leading some fans to become concerned about the overall process.

To reassure players, Barone published a new post on his official website, stating that production of Haunted Chocolatier is proceeding at its planned pace. At the same time, he decided to address and debunk some of the most common misconceptions:

  • Haunted Chocolatier will be canceled, and its content will be added to Stardew Valley.
    • No. First of all, I have no intention of canceling Haunted Chocolatier. But even if I did, I wouldn't add its content to my previous game. Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier are different games. It doesn't even make sense from a technical standpoint, as Haunted Chocolatier is built from scratch using a different engine. You can't just copy and paste content from Haunted Chocolatier into Stardew Valley.
  • Updates for Stardew Valley are being used as a testing ground for ideas for Haunted Chocolatier.
    • No. When working on Stardew Valley, I don't think about Haunted Chocolatier, and vice versa. I wouldn't "try something out" in Stardew Valley because that would be unfair to its audience. Also, I don't want to spoil ideas for Haunted Chocolatier by adding them to Stardew Valley first. Furthermore, Stardew Valley is a different game, so you can't accurately "test something" for Haunted Chocolatier in it.
  • ConcernedApe continues to update Stardew Valley because he burned out while working on Haunted Chocolatier.
    • No. I'm working on the Stardew update only because it's a very popular game with a large and still-growing audience, and I have additional ideas for improving it.
  • ConcernedApe said that Haunted Chocolatier won't be released before 2030.
    • I didn't say that. In 2025, I was asked if the game would be released within the next five years, and I answered, "I hope so." That is not at all the same as saying, "It will be released in 2030." The point is, I don't want to announce a release date yet. The game will be released when it's ready.

As for the major 1.7 update for Stardew Valley, it still does not have a release date.