Stardew Valley developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has revealed he doesn’t ask for any compensation when his fan-favorite farm sim collabs with other franchises, saying he only does them because “[he] was a fan of the other games, or because [he] genuinely thought players would like it.”
The statement comes as fans prepare for a crossover event between Stardew Valley and Infinity Nikki, which goes live on September 1. Although we still don’t really understand what this will involve, exactly, there are already some surprisingly mixed reactions coming from the community, with some players upset about the timing, suggesting it’s an all-too-convenient distraction from the recent controversy around leakers.
“There have been a few collaborations between Stardew Valley and other games over the years,” Barone posted on X/Twitter yesterday. “To be clear, I never receive any money from these collabs. I’ve only done them because I was a fan of the other games, or because I genuinely thought the players would like it.”
Interestingly, Infinity Nikki responded directly to Barone from its official X/Twitter account.
“We really appreciate you sharing your feelings on this. Any unintended stress was the last thing we wanted. It was our way of saying thanks — a free love letter to Stardew Valley from our team and for the community,” the message said.
“Working on it felt like we were all tending a little farm together. The care and detail you pour into your world is exactly why we want to make cozy games too. We’re still learning from you every day.”
To be fair, it feels as though the fallout from the Stardew Valley collab is just a matter of bad timing here. The Infinity Nikki community has been unhappy ever since update 1.5 added some controversial changes to the game, such as retconning Infinity Nikki’s story, and ramping up the money and time investments required to collect full outfits.
It’s not that Barone does this all that often, either. Stardew Valley has only ever worked with a handful of other games, such as Balatro and Terraria.
Back in May, Barone admitted that he “didn’t want to just be the Stardew Valley guy,” explaining that was why he’s currently working on Haunted Chocolatier. We shouldn’t expect a release date anytime soon, though — there’s “still a lot to be done,” Barone recently admitted, particularly as he feels it’s “got to be better” than Stardew Valley.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
