ConcernedApe

ConcernedApe is the professional name of Eric Barone, an American indie game developer and musician born in Los Angeles in 1987. He studied computer science at the University of Washington Tacoma and is based in Seattle. ConcernedApe is best known for creating Stardew Valley entirely on his own, handling all art, music, programming, and writing himself over four years of development. The game went on to become one of the best selling indie games of all time and established Barone as one of the most remarkable solo developers in the history of the medium.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley released on February 26, 2016 for Windows and Linux and macOS on the same day. The game puts players in the role of a character who inherits a run down farm from their grandfather and leaves behind a corporate job to start a new life in the countryside. Players grow crops, raise animals, mine for resources, build relationships with the townspeople of Pelican Town, and can eventually get married and start a family. The game draws heavy inspiration from the Harvest Moon series, which Barone had loved since childhood.

Barone began developing Stardew Valley in 2012 and spent an average of ten hours a day working on it alone. He created every piece of art, composed the entire soundtrack, wrote all the dialogue, and built all the systems himself. The game launched with almost no marketing and sold 500,000 copies in its first two weeks entirely on word of mouth. It has since sold over 35 million copies across all platforms and holds one of the highest ratings on Steam.

After launch Barone continued updating the game for years. Version 1.3 added multiplayer, allowing up to four players to farm together online. Version 1.4 and 1.5 added significant content including new end game areas, new characters, and new storylines. Version 1.6 was one of the largest updates the game ever received and added new festivals, items, and quality of life improvements. Stardew Valley is available on Windows, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, and Android. It also released on Nintendo Switch 2 in late 2025.

Stardew Valley is one of my favorite games to watch on Twitch. Whenever I go out looking for new streamers, I usually end up scrolling the Stardew Valley category.

Stardew Valley Multiplayer

Multiplayer was added to Stardew Valley in version 1.3 in 2018 on PC, with console versions receiving the feature later. Up to four players can join the same farm, each living in their own cabin. Players can divide tasks, farm together, and even marry each other’s characters. The multiplayer networking code was the one part of the game Barone did not handle himself, bringing in outside help for that specific feature.

Haunted Chocolatier

In October 2021, Barone announced his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. The game puts players in charge of running a chocolate shop inside a haunted castle, collecting ingredients, crafting confections, interacting with townspeople and ghosts, and engaging in combat. Barone began development in 2020 and is again working as the primary solo developer. As of 2026 the game has no confirmed release date. Barone has stated he will not release the game until he is personally satisfied with every aspect of it, and in 2025 indicated that 2030 is the rough target though not a firm commitment. He is also collaborating on a separate unannounced project simultaneously.

ConcernedApe as a Studio

In early 2019 Barone formed a small team around the ConcernedApe name to help with continued Stardew Valley updates. The 1.4 and 1.5 updates were developed with Arthur Lee, also known as Mr. Podunkian. The studio remains very small and Barone continues to serve as the creative lead on all projects. ConcernedApe self-publishes all of its games and has no outside publisher involvement.