Stardew Valley creator approves of "anyone making any mods" as long as it's clear they're "not canon"

Anna Koselke
·2 min read
Stardew Valley Expanded screenshot showcasing a green pixel-style area with pine trees and scattered leafy bushes.
Stardew Valley Expanded screenshot showcasing a green pixel-style area with pine trees and scattered leafy bushes.

Amid the ever-expanding sea of Stardew Valley mods, the indie game's developer reveals that he approves of fan creations - provided that they stay separate from "canonical" content.

Just as the Stardew Valley creator still thinks he could "keep working on the game forever," I could probably keep playing it forever. With dedicated solo dev Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone releasing regular patches like the recent 1.6 update, it feels like that's more possible than ever. The farming gem's community of creative modders keeps it thriving between updates, too, with thousands of mods. With so much additional fan-driven content, it's hard not to wonder what Barone makes of it all.

Speaking to PC Gamer about Stardew Valley mods, Barone says that he's cool with mods. "I am open to mods and fine with anyone making any mods they want," the dev explains. This sentiment also applies to fans "adjusting and adding to the story" as they please. I'm reminded of massive expansion-esque mods like Stardew Valley Expanded here, and how its legendary creator worked with Barone on update 1.6. Considering how Barone has hired mastermind modders to help with official content, his approval of player creations comes as no surprise. However, the dev does clarify that mods are "not canon." In fact, "only the vanilla game is canonical."

Delving further into the matter, Barone states that while he doesn't disapprove of mods for Stardew Valley, he wants players to know what's official and what isn't: "I don't mind if people want to add their own fan stories to their game, as long as it's clear it's not canon." This thought process may have played a part in Barone recommending players try out 1.6 without mods first - to avoid any confusion between official new content and anything added via mods. Now that the update has been out for a while and the dev is back to working on Haunted Chocolatier though, there's no better time to explore ConcernedApe-approved mods.

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