Plenty of game updates get a blog post. Stardew Valley's next one got a shout-out at an amphitheatre. Creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone told a concert crowd at Red Rocks that update 1.7 is "looking to be the largest Stardew Valley update ever", and that it will probably arrive next year, according to reports from GamesRadar+ and Kotaku.
One thing to flag up front: GamesRadar+ says the remarks come from a clip an attending fan posted to Reddit, and we could not check that clip directly. Kotaku credits GamesRadar+ and embeds the same clip, so both reports rest on one recording, not two separate accounts. Everything below is credited to the outlet reporting it.
What Barone said
GamesRadar+ places the moment at a Stardew Valley Symphony of Seasons concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Kotaku adds that it was the finale of the game's soundtrack tour, held late last month, and that Barone appeared to thank fans for their support.
Both outlets carry the key line. "We're working on the 1.7 update, which is looking to be the largest Stardew Valley update ever," he said, as quoted by GamesRadar+. "It's jam-packed."
That is a big claim for this game. GamesRadar+ notes it would put 1.7 ahead of updates 1.5 and 1.6, which added regions, festivals and more.
Barone then turned to the two characters fans already knew about. "Clint and Sandy are just the tip of the iceberg – there's so much more in the update," he said, according to GamesRadar+. Kotaku reports that Barone has confirmed both characters will become eligible for marriage in the update.
When it might arrive
The timing is the part to read carefully. Kotaku's headline calls it a release window, but the quote is looser than that. "You guys are in for a real treat, and it'll probably come out sometime next year," Barone said, per GamesRadar+.
So 2027 is likely, not promised, and no date or month has been given. GamesRadar+ points out that next year could mean the start or the tail end of 2027.
What else could be in it
Barone has kept most of the content under wraps, Kotaku says, so the list of what's actually confirmed is short. GamesRadar+ says players already know about the two new marriage candidates and a new farm type, along with social features Barone has teased.
Kotaku goes a little further but frames these as things there is reason to expect, not promises: improvements to the game's children, a new farm map, a farm map editor that would free players from preset layouts, and possibly social features for sharing those map designs.
Haunted Chocolatier is still on the desk
All of this is happening alongside Barone's next game. Kotaku says Haunted Chocolatier will lean further towards action RPG and carry slightly darker themes than Stardew, and that it is likely a lot further out than 1.7. GamesRadar+ notes Barone has admitted the game is "taking a long time" to get right.
Neither report gives a release date for Haunted Chocolatier.
Riley's take: "Largest update ever" is a bold thing to say out loud to a crowd at Red Rocks, and I love that it was said there and not in a press release. Still, I'd keep the excitement pointed at the word "jam-packed" and away from the calendar, because "probably" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Clint and Sandy being the tip of the iceberg is a fun line, and I very much want to know what is under the waterline.
Reporting notes
