Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe, has announced his next game. The developer behind the wildly successful indie farming sim Stardew Valley, many fans have been waiting to hear what his new project might be. It's called Haunted Chocolatier, and you can get a look at early gameplay in the above teaser.

Writing on the game's website, Barone gives us a vague idea of what the game's all about. The core of the game "involves gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop", but he assures that "there’s a lot more to the game than that". In the video, it certainly looks similar to its predecessor, but Barone says there are some key differences. We suppose running a chocolate business inside a haunted castle is one difference, at least.

"Like Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier is another 'town game', where you move to a new town and try your hand at a new way of living," He writes. "You’ll get to know the townspeople, achieve your goals and make progress in many ways. All of that is similar to Stardew Valley." He goes on to explain that the gameplay and theme are quite different, calling Haunted Chocolatier "more of an action-RPG compared to Stardew Valley".

Barone has been developing the game solo for about a year, and currently doesn't know when to expect the game will be finished. Platforms are similarly vague, although he says he has "every intention of bringing it to the other major platforms" in addition to PC. It's obviously early days, but it's probably safe to assume it'll end up on PlayStation 5 eventually.

So, what do you make of Haunted Chocolatier? Are you excited to play a new game from ConcernedApe? Do you still play Stardew Valley? Indulge in the comments section below.

[source hauntedchocolatier.net]