Since its release in 2016,Stardew Valleyhas achieved several milestones, not the least of which was the game’s unexpected success right out of the gate. Now, Eric Barone, the creator of the award-winning farming sim, has announced yet another significant moment for the game.
On his official Twitter page, Barone aka ConcernedApe, announced thatStardew Valleyhas officially sold over 10 million copies since its launch in February 2016. To put that number into perspective,Final Fantasy XV,arguably one of the most anticipated role-playing games of this console generation, has sold just over nine million copies since its release in November 2016.
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LikeMinecraft, the success ofStardew Valleyis especially noteworthy because it was created by a singleindie developeras a passion project. Greatly inspired by theHarvest Moonseries and similar games likeAnimal CrossingandTerraria,Barone began working onStardew Valleyfrom his bedroom in the hopes of creating a game that would bring together the best parts of all of those IPs. Over the course of four years and 70-hour work weeks, he taught himself the skills necessary to produce the game’s music, art, design, and programming.
Midway through the development process,Chucklefishapproached Barone and offered to handle the game’s publishing. Upon its release,Stardew Valleyquickly became a sensation, earning positive reviews from critics and gamers alike, and Valve reported that it was one of the top revenue generators on Steam in 2016. That year, the game was also nominated for numerous awards and even won a few, including a BreakthroughGolden Joystickand the NAVGTR award for Best Simulation Game. Barone was even listed as a person to watch inForbes’article titled “30 Under 30 In Games 2017.”
Originally released only for Microsoft Windows,Stardew Valley’ssuccess led to ports for Linux, Mac,Nintendo Switch, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and even Android and iOS. With the help of Chucklefish, the game has also been localized into a number of different languages and, recently, a multiplayer mode was added to allow up to four players tobuild houses and farmstogether in the same world.
Stardew Valleywas released in February 2016 and is available on Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
