Game Companies are becoming notorious for a new strategy: release game, tease possible added content, release dlc a couple of years later to reinvigorate the game and the hype around it. If you’re Atlus, you instead release the whole game with added content. Downloadable content, or DLCs, are new content, or in specific cases new features, that build on an existing base game. More often than not they also come with their own sizable price tag. Sometimes it can be a hefty price to pay to experience the totality that games have to offer between a base game and one or more dlc add ons. Luckily, Stardew Valley fans don’t have to worry.
Stardew Valley, created and solo developed by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, was published in 2016. It actually entered development four years before that in 2012, and since then multiple updates have been made. The latest update Version 1.6 released on March 19, 2024 shows that this farming sim is still going strong behind the scenes. In a tweet on July 21st, 2024 Barone commented on the coming ports for the new update, which he had been “working on every day.”
A fan responded that the time gaps were understandable and as long as the updates were free and provide quality updates like new content or quality of life updates, that the wait was bearable. In response Barone pledged to never charge for an update or DLC. He did comment that he wasn’t criticizing games and developers that do charge for DLC, but is steadfast in his decision not to.
Not all DLC’s are created equal, with some feeling like whole sequels to their original games, and others being a smaller new added area. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne adds another 37 hours to the base game’s roughly 45. In other words, adding Iceborne almost doubles the game’s length. All of this to say that there are a great many DLCs out there, and considering the current success of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree, they can be fantastic additions. However, it’s nice as players to know there are situations like Stardew Valley that players can keep returning to without the worry of spending money to enjoy the latest update.