Eric Barone’s Stardew Valley garnered critical acclaim when it originally launched on PC in 2016 and it later launched on Buy Now and Buy Now , giving an even larger audience a chance to explore its tranquil, charming world. Soon, Nintendo Switch owners will be able to play it as well, as the game is out on the platform later this week.
Publisher Chucklefish’s CEO Finn Bruce tweeted the news earlier on Monday, October 2, saying that the game would be available on Thursday, October 5 for $15. As a nice bonus, that is the day of the harvest moon for 2017, which usually begins in September.
“I’m very happy to see Stardew come to a Nintendo console,” developer Eric Barone added on the game’s website. “I grew up on Nintendo, after all. This will not only be the first time Stardew Valley appears on a Nintendo platform, but also the first time Stardew will be on a portable system.”
The Switch version was developed by Sickhead Games, a studio that is no stranger to porting acclaimed games. Previously, the studio developed the PlayStation 4 and Vita versions of Darkest Dungeon, as well as the Vita versions of Axiom Verge, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and Towerfall Ascension.
While Stardew Valley hasn’t been released for Vita yet, a curious fan received word from Barone that the game was actually running on the device already, and that once it had been optimized, he was hoping for a release later in 2017. That seems unlikely at this point, but it would certainly be a welcome addition to the Vita library whenever it does release. Sony ceased development for the console, with Japanese publishers and independent developers managing to keep it afloat, though new PlayStation Plus games are still available for free each month.
Stardew Valley was in development for about five years, beginning as a project for first-time developer Barone after he became frustrated with recent Harvest Moon iterations. When he began development, he promised eager players that the game would include online multiplayer. That is still in development at Chucklefish, though technical issues have kept it from release thus far. You can read more about the game’s extended development in journalist Jason Schreier’s book, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels.
