Stardew Valley creator confirms he’s made “a ton of progress” on update 1.6

Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone says he is in the midst of a “self-imposed crunch mode” as he gets Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update ready for release.

Addressing Stardew fans directly via his X/Twitter channel, Barone says he is in “nose to the grindstone mode”, and whilst he’s keeping a lot of the details “secret”, did reveal one little teaser which made fans very, very happy.

“A ton of progress on 1.6 last month, it’s (self-imposed) extreme crunch mode, nose to the grindstone (raw nose) mode,” Barone said.

“Here’s one of the many additions in 1.6,” he added, appending an image that shows a Big Chest is on the way, and it’ll store “almost twice as much as a regular chest”.

“Keeping mostly everything secret,” he finished.

When asked why he continues to work on the game “despite it being released so many years ago”, Barone explained there were “many things” that kept him interested.

“So many people are still playing it, and many new people every day, I want it to be the best it can be,” he said.

“It will never be perfect, but I feel an urge to keep improving it. Up to this point, it’s been my life’s work, and I care a lot about it.”

A canny Stardew Valley player has devised an intriguing way of decorating the in-game spa thanks to a little-known bug that lets players access their inventory out of bounds.

By spamming weapon attacks, ItsJinosaur has been able to fully customise the bathhouse/spa, arguably one of Stardew’s most overlooked, and under-used, landmarks.

ICYMI, Stardew Valley is bringing its first concert tour to London in April next year. Festival of Seasons will begin in February 2024, touring North America and Australia before it reaches London. The programme has been curated by Stardew Valley creator Barone and will showcase music from the game performed by local chamber orchestras.