Stardew Valley’s upcoming addition of new marriage candidates may have already been revealed in an interview from 2025, but getting them to wed players may require breaking up an existing marriage. While Stardew Valley incorporates farming and dungeon-delving elements, the system of building relationships with Pelican Town’s residents is a major feature that keeps players coming back for more, and the next big update might feature some startling changes to at least one happy home.
Early in February, creator Eric Barone, better known to fans as ConcernedApe, revealed that new marriage candidates are coming to Stardew Valley in the 1.7 update. Barone declined to name names, though it sounds like there will be two of them, and it’s not yet clear whether his words mean there will be two all-new characters introduced or if two existing characters will have the romance and marriage options unlocked.
ConcernedApe Gives Official Statement on Stardew Valley 2
Stardew Valley creator Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone unveils the surprising truth behind the possibility of a direct sequel to the beloved farming sim.
Stardew Valley’s Next Romanceable NPCs May Have Been Revealed Already
But some fans think they have already figured out the answer based on Barone’s own words during a podcast appearance last year, and they’re anticipating being able to break up the marriage between Robin and Demetrius. As pointed out by user xSparkyBoomManx on Reddit, Barone was featured in 2025 as a guest on actor and comedian Bobby Lee’s TigerBelly podcast, in which he said he initially didn’t have time to include all the Stardew Valley romances and marriages that he wanted to. “Honestly, I’ve said I would like you to be able to marry Robin or Demetrius and break up their marriage, and cause chaos in the town, but have all the consequences of that,” he explained to Lee. “Like, not make it like, ‘Oh, it’s fun and happy.’ Like everyone’s mad at you.”
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The possibility of breaking up the carpenter and scientist couple on the mountainside sounds like it would be appealing to a lot of players. Many fans have pointed out that Demetrius isn’t a very pleasant husband to Robin, often ignoring his family to focus on his lab research or criticizing Robin’s masterwork four-post bed as an inefficient waste of resources. Others have come to Demetrius’ defense, noting some seemingly neurodivergent behavior by him and accusing Robin of failing to be sensitive to his needs, such as when he brought tomatoes home after being asked to pick up some fruit. Regardless of the side most players pick, their marriage is one of the rockier ones in Stardew Valley, and many players seem eager to jump at the chance to rescue one from the other.
Still, as Barone pointed out, breaking up the couple would likely have some serious repercussions that would logically be upsetting to some other Stardew Valley villagers. Robin and Demetrius are the biological parents of Maru, and Sebastian is also Robin’s son from her first marriage, with Demetrius serving as his stepfather. Both of their children serve as potential marriage candidates for the player, and their close friendships with Sam, Abigail, Harvey, and Penny could turn more than half of the currently romanceable characters in Pelican Town against the player. Additionally, Robin works out every Tuesday at the general store with most of the older women in town, and while Demetrius is a bit of a loner, his neighbor in the tent up the hill, Linus, at least seems to like him.
While the words came directly from Barone’s mouth, players shouldn’t necessarily count on Robin and Demetrius being the next marriage candidates. Fans have pointed out that a bunch of other NPCS players might be able to romance after Stardew Valley‘s 1.7 update. Likely candidates include Sandy, who would have to move to the town from Calico Desert, and the town blacksmith, Clint, who might finally be able to get over his unrequited crush on Emily. While somewhat less likely, fans have also thrown around the ideas of marrying some older residents like Lewis and Marnie, and while they’re not technically married to one another, dating one of them would likely mean breaking up their secret relationship.
- 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
