Why Stardew Valley’s Creator Hated His Game

Eric Barone is the one man team who created Stardew Valley. Despite the game being a huge success, selling over 30 million copies worldwide, Eric thought the game was terrible before he released it. This is the true story of the development of Stardew Valley

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#StardewValley

[Nellooo]

Thanks for watching! Who should I talk about next?

[dmitri]

I love this story but not only because Eric did finish his dream game and became so successful, but because Amber is an absolute diamond... She supports the guy for so long, she's one of the two reasons we can play Stardew Valley now, the other being Eric. Such a great and inspiring story!

[BigIndianBindi-jycz]

so basically, Eric got lots of love and support early on from his family, and that determined his strengths. Love and Support gives a human soo much power for creation.

[fishblades]

God bless amber, without her we may not even have stardew. She's the definition of a supportive spouse and deserves all the fancy things she can now buy.

[German-mdxc]

"He tried to trick him by printing the fibonacci sequence instead of having the computer do the math", guy was already thinking like a game developer.

[AndrewParkins-vb]

We’re in update 1.6 now and the game just keeps getting bigger and more rewarding

[oredaze]

Now imagine all the games that failed, that nobody ever heard of. Years down the drain. Starvation, depression, suicidal ideations, etc. Solo game dev is no joke.

[sassygrilledcheese]

Major shoutout to Amber for supporting Eric. Now neither of them have to worry ever again

edit: are y'all really arguing in my comment thread?

[Laezar]

Sadly a lot of stories like that would end up in disaster, the game not ever releasing or making any money, the partner not being able to be supportive for so many years, or health problem coming in the way of actually finishing the game.
These success story are inspirational but they exist within a system that's designed to make that kind of stuff a dangerous gamble that most will fail while the few successes are shown as a way to justify that it's all just about hard work when it's not.

[mashak]

this has shifted how I think of Mr. Qi's dialogue regarding "perfection" and to never quit seeking it. There's a lot of Eric's mentality in those words

[Gnomable]

He's really lucky he had so many people around to support him through the game's development.

[peacefulminimalist]

I love how he still to this day interacts with his community and is so down to earth. Really great person.

[CT]

All artists doubt and hate their own art. This is very common. The important thing is to get it finished and get it out there.

[Sushi]

Honestly, Amber is the GOAT in this story. She supported Eric all throughout and that makes Amber an absolute gem. Kudos to you, Amber!

[thekingofracoons]

I remember when the game 1st published. my friend asked in one of the forums for help with my broken save. I had given him the save to see if he could fix it.

I was asleep by the time with no idea what was happening. When I woke up I had a message from my friend with an attached file. It was my save. And it was working.

Eric had seen the post and the attached broken file with it. He then took the broken file without saying anything... and fixed it overnight. He contacted my friend at 4 am in the morning with the working file and on top of that... he apologized for the issue.

I have never felt so strongly about any developer. But Eric is one of the best we have.

[baronminx]

He made me realize you can create something even in your lowest times and it be something everyone enjoys. It takes time and patience for something you dream of
becoming a reality😭

[JonathanTrevatt]

This actually had me tearing up. It has taken me a long time to finish my undergrad (engineering). It took me 10 years, with a whole lot of turmoil and pain. I have finally passed everything and my graduation will be this July. I can certainly empathise with the feeling that you are failing and wasting your life on a dream, being supported by others, the imposter syndrome, the embarrassment when people ask what you do or how long until you finish, and the feeling of needing to prove yourself even after the fact.
I'm glad he has found success. I have never played stardew valley, but I feel like buying it now to support him, having heard his story (even though I certainly need the money more than he does right now 😅).

[cuffmeincorporated]

Eric gotta go down as one of the most legendary creatives out there, and the support Amber gave him fully made his dreams reality. Such an inspiration, I wouldn't know what the guy is feeling right now

[sergiopenaforte]

This story should be a movie. It actually made me cry knowing that everything ended well and he kept his essence. Great video.

[Rock_Appreciator]

"Imagine playing the same game, all day, for 4 years..."
I don't think this guy is built for RuneScape 😆