https://www.gamesradar.com/former-stardew-valley-developer-making-their-own-gorgeous-life-sim-rpg-this-time-in-a-city-with-rideable-bikes/
The unnamed game looks absolutely delightful
I thought so as well, but apparently ConcernedApe started enlisting help around the 1.3 update. Before then it was all solo work by him.
The referenced dev from the article contributed to the 1.4 and 1.5 updates from the Stardew wiki.
Even then, by my understanding, that was mostly for the port and bug fixes. CA was very reluctant to give any control and did all art, musical, feature, and overall directional development himself.
I'd argue it was a recipe for burnout and generally a bad idea but this is what I remember from when I obsessively read his update blogs back then
I didn't dive into the details of what each other dev contributed, but I would believe that given what I know of the project. The game has such a focused and meticulous art, music, and gameplay direction that I can see how he would want to exercise full control and not dilute it.
I've always thought the game was a huge undertaking for a solo dev also so I'm glad he didn't burn himself out. The game being a massive commercial success probably helps immensely though.
Coincidentally I started a brand new farm when I was having a bad day a few days ago. The work that was out into the game shines through brightly every time.
Have you heard that ConcernedApe took a break from working on their new game to do one last big update for Stardew? Things like improvements for mod support, some more storyline dialogue, a new yearly festival/event, hats on cats/dogs!, seasonal clothing changes for NPCs, I think additional Joja content, and something else for Ginger Island. No release date confirmed yet, but CA can take as long as necessary to work on it, I'll still be patiently and excitedly waiting!
I haven't been keeping up in the update news recently and I actually wasn't aware there was a new big update planned.
I don't think I've started a new farm since at least 1.3 at this point so I've got a lot to explore right now. I try not to play too much because when I do my girlfriend also remembers the game exists and then I can't use my computer for three months and I have to beg her to eat and shower 😆
If you've got the spare cash, it works great on Steam Deck and you two could play it together
It's nice to have another excuse to look forward to getting one! It's unfortunately out of my budget at the moment, but I'll definitely keep that in mind and thank you for the tip!
I'm excited/concerned for the 1.6 update because a ton of mods are going to break because Content Patcher will be fully obsolete. There's an alternative to Content Patcher and modders are tryibg to prep for the update, but it's going to be a chaotic couple of months
From the Stardew valley faq:
Stardew Valley 1.0 was developed completely solo by ConcernedApe (Eric Barone), over the course of 4.5 years. It was released on February 26th, 2016.
-The 1.1 update was also developed solo by ConcernedApe.
-Starting with 1.3, there have been others that helped with the updates, including:
Arthur Lee, “Mr. Podunkian” (1.4 & 1.5 updates).
Tom Coxon (Multiplayer net code in 1.3).
Alex Erlandson, “Zillix” (1.4 update).
Sickhead Games (Console ports).
The Secret Police (Mobile ports).
…and more. Full credits can be found in the game’s title screen.
Me neither, but this guy has ConcernedApeLLC on his LinkedIn.
I really don't like that it uses the same assets as Stardew and seems to be very much in the same genre.
If he has CA's blessing to make it with the same art, then I look forward to it. If he just copied CA's art without asking, then I hope whatever measures CA takes work out in his favor.
The SV art could also just be early placeholder until he gets his own art, which is also fine to me.
Does the dev have permission to use Stardew Valley assets, or are those placeholders?
It doesn't look like the exact same assets, but it clearly has the same color palette and design. Honestly it kinda feels like a slap in the face, but maybe the two of them came to some kind of agreement? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Are we looking at the same screenshot? I see many assets that look the exact same as SDV. Bushes, the sand and grass floor tiles, the fence maybe?
Edit: Did some digging and apparently this is some engine the dev was working on while doing stuff for SDV and the ConcernedApe is cool with it. That explains the copied base assets.
That makes me feel a lot better knowing they've discussed it. I know Mr Podunkian helped out a ton for the last couple updates, so they probably worked really closely together.
It might just be because of the bike, but the videos I've seen of it give it a real Earth Bound feel.