ConcernedApe

ConcernedApe is Eric Barone, the creator and lead developer of Stardew Valley, as well as the name of the company he founded to continue game development. From 2012 to 2019, he was the sole developer of the game (except the multiplayer networking code in 1.3) and created all art, sound effects, and music. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington.

In early 2019, ConcernedApe formed a small development team to continue updating the game. The 1.4 update of the game was developed by ConcernedApe, Arthur Lee (a.k.a. Mr. Podunkian), and Alex Erlandson (a.k.a. zillix). The 1.5 update of the game was developed by ConcernedApe and Arthur Lee. See Stardew Valley for more info about the game's development.

In late 2021 he announced ConcernedApe’s Haunted Chocolatier, a new game still in development. ConcernedApe began work on this game in late 2020 as the sole developer.

Trivia

• Setting the favorite thing when starting the game to "ConcernedApe" will trigger special dialogue upon consumption of a Stardrop.
• When launching Stardew Valley, if the player clicks on ConcernedApe's face, he will open his eyes or remove his sunglasses and a 'splat' or honk sound will play.

See also

• Developer Blog
• Stardew Valley
• Interviews:
  • Interview with Eric Barone, Creator of Stardew Valley, Kristi's Blog, 07 October 2012
  • One on One, Metagamingtv, 02 March 2013
  • Show Us Your Rig: Stardew Valley's Eric Barone, PCGamer, 05 January 2016
  • Stardew Valley: Pushing The Boundaries of Farming RPGs, Cornell Sun, 23 February 2016
  • GI Show, Game Informer, 10 March 2016
  • The creators of Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon talk to us about farm games, PC Gamer, 01 December 2016
  • Valley Forged: How One Man Made the Indie Video Game Sensation Stardew Valley, GQ, 20 March 2018
  • Stardew Valley's Creator on Self-Publishing, the "Everything" Update, and His Future as a Solo Developer, USgamer, 08 October 2019
  • Auburn native develops beloved, bestselling video game (with video), King5 News, 15 April 2020
  • How Stardew Valley Keeps Building On Success, GameInformer, 08 September 2020