Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, has confirmed that the game’s next update, version 1.7, will add two more romance options, while also teasing more marriage-related content. Stardew Valley‘s last major patch, version 1.6, launched on March 19, 2024, introducing a range of new features and driving a massive spike in the game’s player count.
According to SteamDB data, Stardew Valley hit a new concurrent player record on Steam on the day the 1.6 update launched, surpassing 235,000 users. At the time, many believed Stardew Valley 1.6 would be the final update because Barone was working on Haunted Chocolatier. However, as the beloved farming sim neared its tenth anniversary, Barone teased one more content update for Stardew Valley.
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Stardew Valley 1.7 Has New Romanceable Characters and ‘More Interesting Children’
In an interview with IGN celebrating ten years of Stardew Valley, developer Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe, teased some features coming in update 1.7: two new romanceable Stardew Valley NPCs and changes that will make children “a little more interesting.” Barone mentioned, “I’m trying to not reveal too much because I like it to be a surprise,” before saying, “I’m going to be adding two more marriage candidates.”
It is not yet clear whether these characters will be entirely new NPCs or previously unavailable residents of Pelican Town added to the roster of romanceable characters. Either way, the announcement is likely to excite much of the Stardew Valley community, as new romance options have long been one of the game’s most requested features. The wait should not be long, either, as Barone has promised to reveal the new datable characters on Stardew Valley‘s 10th anniversary on February 26.
As for the update involving children, Barone did not share many details, saying, “Well, there is a popular fan request, which has to do with the children, trying to make the children a little more interesting.” Players have long noted that interactions with their kids in Stardew Valley are fairly limited and add little to the overall gameplay or story. Barone appears to be aware of this and is likely working on a way to address it. Fans have already begun speculating about what could change, with theories ranging from additional growth stages that show children aging to new heart events that deepen parental bonds.
Stardew Valley 1.7 Will Be Full of Surprises
While new marriage candidates and more interesting children have been frequent fan requests, Barone has hinted that update 1.7 will go well beyond these expected additions. “There’s a lot of other things in the update as well that no one’s really asked for,” he said, teasing that players should expect plenty of surprises. The pattern of past updates supports this idea, since Stardew Valley patches are often hard to predict. Version 1.6, for instance, introduced several new tools and items that few players could have anticipated.
Fans Should Mark February 26 on Their Calendars
February 26 marks Stardew Valley‘s 10th anniversary, and Eric Barone is expected to share more details about the upcoming update on that day. So far, fans know the two new romanceable characters will be revealed then, but that may not be all. Based on how previous patches were handled, Barone could also offer a sneak peek at additional new features.
As for when update 1.7 will actually be released, no exact date has been announced. The good news is that Barone has hired a small team to help work on Stardew Valley‘s next major update, which could speed up development and lead to a faster release than past patches.
- Released
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February 26, 2016
- ESRB
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E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
- Developer(s)
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ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
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ConcernedApe
