Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone has been working on his new game The Haunted Chocolatier for over four years now, and during a recent chat with GQ, he’s provided a quick reminder about what fans can expect from the gameplay.

While the title is still what he calls a “town game” – similar to his existing farming and social sim, he sums up this new experience as “more of an action RPG”. The main focus here will be all about “adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful”, and you can also expect monsters and boss fights.

Simply put, it’s “for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines”. So, if you’re into that, you should enjoy this new title.

This follows an update shared by Barone on the Haunted Chocolatier website at the end of August 2026. In this post, the Stardew Valley creator said the new game was “still making progress”, but there’s no release window just yet.

He’s not stressing too much about how long the project is taking and doesn’t want to compromise the quality of the game by “rushing it or releasing it too early”. Right now, his goal is to make a game he is proud of and enjoys playing.

“My goal is to make a game that i am proud of and personally enjoy. And I am certain, at this point, that I will enjoy the game when it is finished. In fact, I already enjoy playing it in its unfinished state, especially after some recent additions i made… I hope others will like it too when it’s ready.”