The creator of Stardew Valley – Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone – has revealed he’s never made any money directly from in-game crossovers. Instead, Barone agreed to implement these updates because he’s a fan of the games, or thought players would like them.
Barone shared a statement on X (formerly Twitter) soon after the announcement of a crossover event with Infinity Nikki, in which a Junimo can be seen landing in Infinity Nikki. This makes sense, Junimo’s being adorable little spirits that fit quite well within the cute aesthetic of Infinity Nikki, but the collaboration was met with surprise and criticism from some Stardew players.
Stardew Valley crossovers are quite rare! Back in 2022 there was a Terraria crossover, and relatively recently Stardew Valley made an appearance in Balatro. But aside from that, the farming simulator has been happy staying in its own lane.
In response to Concerned Ape’s post on the matter, the official Infinity Nikki account shared the team’s view of working on this collaboration. It reads: “We really appreciate you sharing your feelings on this. Any unintended stress was the last thing we wanted. It was our way of saying thanks – a free love letter to Stardew Valley from our team and for the community. Working on it felt like we were all tending a little farm together. The care and detail you pour into your world is exactly why we want to make cosy games too. We’re still learning from you every day.”
Should Barone be making some money off these crossovers? Probably, yeah. Though it is his choice ultimately whether he wants to financially benefit off such endeavors. It’s not as though Stardew Valley has been hurting for sales after all. As of December 2024 it has sold over 41m copies. I should hope Barone isn’t too concerned about the money.
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