The Stardew Valley 1.5 Update is "in the home stretch" according to Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, the game's lead developer. This announcement also notes that the next big update will be have a heavy focus on late-game content.
Stardew Valley has seen several major updates in the years since it was first released. These updates have added multiplayer gameplay and quite a lot of new content to the game; most recently, the 1.4 Content Update added a new farm tailor-made for co-op play, the ability to farm fish, and a lot of
Earlier this year, ConcernedApe announced that the Stardew Valley 1.5 Content Update was in development. As a developer, he's hesitant to commit to future updates beyond 1.5, especially as he's focusing on the new features coming to the game. Now, he's revealed that endgame players will have something to look forward to.
Stardew Valley 1.5 Update Might Make Starting a New Game a Good Idea
ConcernedApe has been relatively quiet about this update, although he's revealed a few things over the last few months. Last month, he revealed that the Stardew Valley 1.5 Update will add split-screen co-op for 2–4 players depending on the platform.
Other additions will include a new fruit tree and an alternate way for players to acquire Hardwood. Now, a pair of tweets from ConcernedApe has revealed that the next big update will largely focus on late-game play.
"[The]1.5 update is in the 'home stretch', it's a very big update so there is a lot of polishing and bug fixing necessary to make sure it's ready," he said on Twitter. "It'll be very fun to share it with all of you in the near future. I think you'll be really happy and surprised with all the new stuff!"
"It's definitely more heavy on the late-game content," he added, "but there are some new features/options that you can choose for a new game that might make a fresh run worthwhile[.]"
Unfortunately, ConcernedApe declined to share additional details. That said, we can infer some information from these statements. The "late-game" content can refer to the fruit-trees, in part; it's unusual (although not impossible) for a player to have access to them in the early portion of the game. However, the broadness of this statement implies that there will be a lot more for players to enjoy beyond the opening months of a new game.
"[...] there are some new features/options that you can choose for a new game that might make a fresh run worthwhile[.]" – Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone
As for new games, note how he said that there are "new features/options that you can choose for a new game." Currently, Stardew Valley allows players to select their character's appearance, gender, name, and a type of farm; multiplayer games also allow players to automatically build additional player housing, set a profit margin, and set how money is shared between the players.
ConcernedApe did not yet share a release date for this new update, although one hopes it will arrive sooner rather than later. For now, you can buy it for PC on Steam, the Humble Store, or at DRM-free retailer GOG for $14.99 or your regional equivalent. Console gamers can get it for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4 at the same price, and mobile gamers can get it for Android at the Play Store and iOS at iTunes for the much lower price of $4.99.
Disclosure: TechRaptor participates in an affiliate-linking program that iTunes is a part of, and Humble Bundle & GOG work with TechRaptor for affiliate partnership. TechRaptor earns a small commission off purchases made from some links in this article.
What do you hope to see in the Stardew Valley 1.5 Update? What new feature would make you want to start a new game? Let us knowi in the comments below!
