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Eric Barone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from ConcernedApe)

Eric Barone
Barone in 2019
Born
Eric Lorenz Barone

(1987-12-03) December 3, 1987 (age 38)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other nameConcernedApe
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Washington Tacoma
Occupations
Years active2008–present
Known forStardew Valley
SpouseAmber Hageman
Websiteconcernedape.com
Signature

Eric Lorenz Barone[1] (/bəˈroʊni/ bə-ROH-nee,[2] born December 3, 1987), known professionally as ConcernedApe, is an American video game developer, designer, and composer.

He is best known for independently developing the 2016 video game Stardew Valley. Working alone, Barone served as the game's sole designer, programmer, animator, artist, composer, and writer over four and a half years of development. As of February 2026, the game has sold more than 50 million copies, and is credited by several outlets with revitalizing the farming-simulation genre. He worked alone on updates to the game for several years after its release before recruiting a small team to assist him in 2019, and has continued to support the game while developing his next title, Haunted Chocolatier, a shop-management game announced in 2021.

Stardew Valley received favorable reviews from critics and has won or been nominated for numerous industry awards, including the Breakthrough Award at the 2016 Golden Joystick Awards. Barone was named in Forbes's "30 Under 30: Games" list in 2017 for his work on the game. Beyond developing the game, he has released several albums of the game's music, co-authored an official cookbook, and organized two orchestral concert tours based on its soundtrack. He has also donated to educational and environmental causes, including his alma mater and a nonprofit supporting the game development framework MonoGame.

Early life

[edit]

Barone was born on December 3, 1987, in Los Angeles, California, and spent his childhood in Auburn, Washington, a suburb of the Seattle metropolitan area.[3][4] He cited the Harvest Moon series as his childhood favorite, which continued to influence him into adulthood.[4]

While not musically trained,[5] Barone played music growing up, and was a member of several bands, including a nu metal band and an experimental pop band. For the latter's album, he created his first video game, a LucasArts-inspired point-and-click game.[6]

He attended the University of Washington Tacoma and graduated in 2011 with a degree in computer science.[4] Though he practiced basic programming, Barone did not originally consider making video games as a career. Unable to find employment after graduating from college, he initially began developing Stardew Valley in order to practice programming in C#, and planned to put the game on his résumé for potential employers.[7]

Career

[edit]
ConcernedApe brand logo used by Barone

Stardew Valley (2012–present)

[edit]
Barone speaking on the development of Stardew Valley at Hackfort 2019

Barone began working on Stardew Valley in 2012 and released it in 2016. He created the game entirely on his own[8] as its sole designer, programmer, animator, artist, composer, and writer. To complete the game, Barone worked an average of 10 hours a day, seven days a week[9] for four and a half years.

Barone initially released Stardew Valley on the PC before later porting it to other consoles, and has been assisted in its development by a small team since 2019.[10] As of February 2026, the game has sold over 50 million copies.[11][12]

In 2016, Barone released Stardew Valley: Original Soundtrack, which contains the game's official soundtrack.[13] He followed this on August 15, 2020, with the orchestral album Symphonic Tale: The Place I Truly Belong (Music from Stardew Valley), directed by Kentaro Sato and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, which includes 15 tracks from the game's original soundtrack.[14]

In February 2021, Barone and board game designer Cole Medeiros released Stardew Valley: The Board Game, a cooperative board game adaptation of Stardew Valley.[15] After the first printing of the game went on sale, it quickly sold out. Sales were later reopened with several changes.[16]

Barone collaborated with Norihiko Hibino on Prescription for Sleep, an album series that remixes video game soundtracks with piano and saxophone; the Stardew Valley installment was released in May 2021 and includes 10 tracks from the game's original soundtrack alongside one new track, "Beauty in the Seasons".[17] He then announced two concert tours: Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons in October 2023, featuring a selection of the game's music performed live by a chamber orchestra,[18] and Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons in November 2024, featuring new arrangements of the game's music performed by a 35-piece orchestra.[19]

Barone was the co-author of The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook, released on May 14, 2024, which includes more than 50 recipes adapted from the in-game recipes featured in Stardew Valley.[20] In July 2026, Barone announced a follow-up title, The Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book, co-written with Ryan Novak and crochet designer Megan Lapp and scheduled for release by Random House Worlds on January 26, 2027; the book contains 25 crochet patterns that can be used to create more than 45 amigurumi projects.[21][22] His musical compositions from Stardew Valley have also been featured multiple times on Northwest Public Broadcasting's video game music radio program, Press A To Play, beginning with the program's second episode, Pacific Northwest Independent Games, and continuing in later episodes Indie Darlings and Games We Played in 2020.[23]

In July 2026, Wizards of the Coast announced a crossover between Stardew Valley and its collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, unveiled at MagicCon Amsterdam as the Secret Lair series Superdrop of the Moonlight Jellies. The crossover comprises three card sets, Welcome to Stardew Valley, Life in Pelican Town, and A Flicker in the Deep, for which Barone created original pixel art, including a new land card themed around the game. The sets are scheduled for release on July 27, 2026.[24][25]

Haunted Chocolatier (2021–present)

[edit]

In October 2021, Barone announced that a new game, Haunted Chocolatier, was under development.[26] In the game, the player will run a chocolate shop. It will have a greater focus on combat than in Stardew Valley. Barone stated that "almost everything in Haunted Chocolatier, including the combat, is completely coded (and drawn) from scratch."[27] He continues to support Stardew Valley while working on the new title.

Other projects (2008–present)

[edit]

In 2008, Barone released his first game, known as 17CF Quest, which was also a promotion for the music group 17 Colorful Feathers; the game's main character is found as a piece of furniture in Stardew Valley.[28] In 2011, he created a comic book series called Wumbus World.[29]

In 2014, Barone took a month-long break during the development of Stardew Valley. During this break, Barone used his time to piece together a small mobile game to release on Android. The game was titled Air Pear and was released on March 6, 2014.[30] In the game, players would need to guide a purple pear on a hoverboard between obstacles and compete for a high score.

In 2022, Barone collaborated on an animated music video with indie pop band Alvvays for the band's song "Many Mirrors". Barone was responsible for the video's animation, and it was his first time working with 3D animation.[31]

In 2024, Barone announced that he played in a Seattle-based steelpan band.[32] The following year, he voiced one of the characters in the video game Hollow Knight: Silksong, which was released in 2025.[33]

Impact

[edit]

Industry

[edit]

Inverse and Destructoid both credited Stardew Valley with revitalizing the farming-simulation genre and helping popularize cozy games more broadly, more than two decades after the Harvest Moon series established the genre.[34][35] Writing for Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese argued that although the original Harvest Moon games established the farming-sim format, Stardew Valley became the standard against which later entries in the genre, including newer Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons titles, are measured.[36] PC Gamer writers Wes Fenlon and Kara Phillips similarly described the game as the foundation of the modern farming-sim genre, noting that new releases in the genre are routinely compared to it; they pointed to titles such as Disney Dreamlight Valley and Coral Island as among the games that followed in its wake.[37]

Critical reception

[edit]

Stardew Valley received generally favorable reviews from critics on release. On Metacritic, the PC version holds a score of 89 out of 100 based on 30 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[38] OpenCritic gives the game a "Mighty" rating with an average score of 90 across 76 critic reviews, placing it in the top one percent of games tracked by the site and noting that it is recommended by 99 percent of critics.[39] In 2019, GamesRadar+ included Stardew Valley among the games that defined the 2010s, praising its ability to draw players in over hundreds of hours.[40]

In December 2016, Gamasutra named Barone one of its ten best game developers of the year, crediting him with single-handedly reinvigorating a genre long dominated by the Story of Seasons series.[41] Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Harvest Moon, has praised Stardew Valley as carrying on his own series' legacy, and Barone has described a signed copy of Wada's original Harvest Moon cartridge as one of his most treasured possessions.[34]

Commercial reception

[edit]

By its tenth anniversary in February 2026, Stardew Valley had sold more than 50 million copies, a total exceeding the best-selling individual entries in franchises such as Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, and Call of Duty.[11]

Awards and recognition

[edit]

In 2017, Barone was named by Forbes magazine in its list "30 Under 30: Games" for his work on Stardew Valley.[42] He is also the recipient of the 2019 University of Washington Tacoma Distinguished Alumni Award.[43][44]

Stardew Valley has received the following industry awards and nominations:

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2016 Golden Joystick Awards Best Indie Game Stardew Valley Nominated

[45]
[46]

PC Game of the Year Nominated
Breakthrough Award Won
The Game Awards 2016 Best Independent Game Nominated

[47]

17th Game Developers Choice Awards Best Debut Nominated

[48]

Independent Games Festival Seumas McNally Grand Prize Nominated

[49]

SXSW Gaming Awards Most Promising New Intellectual Property Nominated

[50]

13th British Academy Games Awards Best Game Nominated

[51]

The Steam Awards The 'Best Use Of A Farm Animal' Award Nominated

[52]

The 'I Thought This Game Was Cool Before It Won An Award' Award Nominated
2017 The Steam Awards 'The World Is Grim Enough Let's Just All Get Along' Award Stardew Valley Won

[53]

2018 The Steam Awards Labor of Love Stardew Valley Nominated

[54]

2024 The Steam Awards Labor of Love Stardew Valley Nominated

[55]

Philanthropy

[edit]

In May 2021, Barone funded key upgrades (including watering systems and a greenhouse) for the Giving Garden at UW Tacoma's campus (21st & Fawcett). His donations also established a paid student coordinator role, helping the garden donate 200+ lbs of food annually.[56] In July 2024, he donated at least $25,000 to Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which works to steward the 1.5-million-acre landscape that stretches from Seattle to Ellensburg along I-90.[57] In December 2025, MonoGame announced that Barone had supported the project with an initial donation of $125,000 and a commitment to make regular monthly donations of $1,250.[58][59]

Personal life

[edit]

During the development of Stardew Valley, Barone lived with his parents for part of the time to save money, before moving out with his girlfriend, Amber Hageman, to Capitol Hill, Seattle.[60] While there, Hageman worked two jobs to support them, and Barone worked part-time as an evening usher at the Paramount Theatre.[4][60][61]

Works

[edit]

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
200817CF QuestCreatorPromotional tie-in for the music group 17 Colorful Feathers[28]
2014Air PearCreatorAndroid mobile game[30]
2016Stardew ValleySole designer, programmer, animator, artist, composer, writer[9]
TBAHaunted ChocolatierCreatorIn development[26]
Other credits

Music

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016Stardew Valley: Original SoundtrackComposer[13]
2020Symphonic Tale: The Place I Truly Belong (Music from Stardew Valley)Source composerOrchestral album directed by Kentaro Sato and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra; 15 tracks[14]
2021Prescription for Sleep: Stardew ValleyComposerCollaboration with Norihiko Hibino; includes new track "Beauty in the Seasons"[17]
Concert tours

Literature

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2011Wumbus WorldCreatorComic strip series[29]
2024The Official Stardew Valley CookbookCo-authorMore than 50 recipes adapted from in-game recipes[20]
2027The Official Stardew Valley Crochet BookCo-authorWritten with Ryan Novak and crochet designer Megan Lapp; 25 patterns for more than 45 amigurumi projects; scheduled for release January 26, 2027[21][22]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Auburn-area students to graduate from UW on Saturday". Auburn Reporter. June 6, 2011. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  2. ↑ Summers, Juana (December 19, 2024). "The creator of video game 'Stardew Valley' talks its legacy and future". NPR. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ D'Amato, Lee (December 3, 2024). "Stardew Valley Fans Wish ConcernedApe A Heartfelt 'Happy Birthday' While Still Cracking Jokes About The Best Gifts For The Developer". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 White, Sam (March 20, 2018). "Valley Forged: How One Man Made the Indie Video Game Sensation Stardew Valley". GQ. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ Peppiatt, Dom (December 16, 2022). "Music to harvest and relax to: how the Stardew Valley soundtrack caught the rhythms of the seasons". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ Brown, Andy (November 29, 2023). "'Stardew Valley' creator Eric Barone discusses his life in music, concert tour, and 'Haunted Chocolatier'". NME. Archived from the original on October 10, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ Grodt, Jill (January 17, 2022). "Aftermath Of Success: Stardew Valley, Darkest Dungeon, And Valheim". GameInformer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ Baker, Chris (March 9, 2016). "The 4 years of self-imposed crunch that went into Stardew Valley". www.gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Baker, Chris (March 9, 2016). "The 4 years of self-imposed crunch that went into Stardew Valley". Game Developer. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ Olson, Mathew (October 8, 2019). "Stardew Valley's Creator on Self-Publishing, the "Everything" Update, and His Future as a Solo Developer". USgamer. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Stardew Valley at 10: The Pixel Art Farm Game That Became an Unlikely Phenomenon". CNN. February 26, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Stardew Valley - Press". Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Stardew Valley (Original Game Soundtrack) by ConcernedApe on Apple Music". September 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via music.apple.com.
  14. 1 2 "Symphonic Tale: The Place I Truly Belong (Music from Stardew Valley) VGM Classics "Orchestra for Video Game Music!" Your classical record label for admired Video Game Music! www.VGM-Classics.org". vgm-classics.org. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  15. 1 2 Campbell, Ian Carlos (February 23, 2021). "Stardew Valley is now a cooperative board game". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  16. ↑ Sheridan, Connor (November 3, 2021). "Stardew Valley board game back on sale with revised cards and rules". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  17. 1 2 Makuch, Eddie (April 29, 2021). "Stardew Valley's Music Gets Lovely Lullaby Remix In Prescription For Sleep Album". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Doolan, Liam (October 11, 2023). "Stardew Valley "Festival Of Seasons" Concert Tour Announced". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons 2025/'26 Tour Dates Announcement - IGN". November 20, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024 – via www.ign.com.
  20. 1 2 Lada, Jenni (May 1, 2024). "Official Stardew Valley Cookbook Makes It Easy to Cook Homey Meals". Siliconera. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  21. 1 2 ConcernedApe (July 9, 2026). "Announcing the Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book". Stardew Valley. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Doolan, Liam (July 10, 2026). "Stardew Valley Official Crochet Book Announced, Out January 2027". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Press A to Play". Northwest Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  24. 1 2 Wilde, Thomas (July 17, 2026). "Seattle indie hit 'Stardew Valley' is coming to 'Magic: The Gathering'". GeekWire. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Secret Lair: Superdrop of the Moonlight Jellies". Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast. July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Machkovech, Sam (October 21, 2021). "Stardew Valley's creator announces pixel-art followup Haunted Chocolatier". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  27. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan (October 31, 2021). "Here's a bit about Haunted Chocolatier's combat". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  28. 1 2 Johnson, Sarah (March 22, 2018). "Stardew Valley Creator Eric Barone Shares First Game He Ever Made". games.mxdwn. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  29. 1 2 "WumbusWorld -- Intergalactic Comic Strip". April 19, 2020. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  30. 1 2 "Air Pear (2014)". MobyGames. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  31. ↑ McClure, Deven (December 15, 2022). "ConcernedApe Interview: Eric Barone Talks Alvvays, Haunted Chocolatier". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  32. ↑ "A Chat With the Creator of Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe)". November 8, 2024 – via YouTube.
  33. 1 2 Peters, Jay (September 4, 2025). "Stardew Valley's creator is in Silksong". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 22, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  34. 1 2 Reyes, Jess (March 1, 2023). "7 Years Ago, Stardew Valley Changed the Games Industry Forever". Inverse. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  35. ↑ Warner, Noelle (September 20, 2022). "How Stardew Valley Ushered in the Farming Sim Renaissance". Destructoid. Retrieved July 7, 2026. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: flag (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ↑ Franzese, Tomas (June 28, 2022). "Stardew Valley's Influence on Gaming Is Only Becoming Stronger". Digital Trends. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  37. ↑ Fenlon, Wes; Phillips, Kara (April 30, 2025). "Stardew Valley Creator Eric Barone Hasn't 'Really' Played a Lot of Other Farming and Life Sims, But He Appreciates the Impact the Game Has Had on the Genre—'it Seems to Have Inspired a Lot More People to Consider This Kind of Game'". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Stardew Valley for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Stardew Valley Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  40. ↑ Blain, Louise (December 19, 2019). "Games that defined the decade: Stardew Valley lovingly perfects an age-old genre". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Gamasutra's Best of 2016: The Top 10 Game Developers of the Year". Gamasutra. December 12, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2026. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: flag (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ↑ "30 Under 30 2017: Games". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  43. ↑ Wilson, Eric (August 1, 2019). "The Love of the Game". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  44. ↑ Wilson, Eric (August 1, 2019). "Stardew Valley Creator Named 2019 Distinguished Alumni". University of Washington Tacoma. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  45. ↑ Sheridan, Connor (November 18, 2016). "Overwatch scoops five awards, Firewatch wins Best Indie Game: Here are all the Golden Joystick winners". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  46. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (November 18, 2016). "Golden Joystick Awards 2016: Winners in full". Digital Spy. Hearst UK. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  47. ↑ Stark, Chelsea (December 1, 2016). "The Game Awards 2016 winners list". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  48. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (March 1, 2017). "Overwatch Wins Game Of The Year; Full List Of GDCA Winners". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  49. ↑ Pitcher, Jenna (March 1, 2017). "Inside wins big at the Independent Games Festival Awards". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  50. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (March 19, 2017). "SXSW Gaming Awards winners announced". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  51. ↑ Stuart, Keith (March 9, 2017). "Bafta games awards 2017: the winners in full". The Guardian. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Steam Awards 2016 winners". Steam. Valve. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Steam Awards 2017 winners". Steam. Valve. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Steam Awards 2018 nominees and winners". Steam. Valve. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Steam Awards 2024 nominees". Steam. Valve. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Boundless Impact Campaign Philanthropy Report" (PDF). May 1, 2021 – via Website.
  57. ↑ "Mountains to Sound Greenway Corporate Support". July 12, 2024 – via Website.
  58. ↑ Wagner, Justin (December 30, 2025). "Eric Barone makes $125,000 donation to the C# framework Stardew Valley uses, as well as 'an ongoing monthly commitment' in what the team behind it calls an 'extraordinary show of support'". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on December 30, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  59. ↑ "ConcernedApe MonoGame Donation". January 1, 2026 – via YouTube.
  60. 1 2 Schreier, Jason (2017). Blood, sweat, and pixels : the triumphant, turbulent stories behind how video games are made. New York : HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 81–85. ISBN 978-0-06-265123-5 – via Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  61. ↑ Meny, Ellen (April 15, 2020). "Auburn native develops beloved, bestselling video game". KING 5 News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
[edit]
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