If you were looking forward to starting a virtual farm with your cross-platform friends, I have some bad news for you.
Earlier today Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone announced on Twitter that Stardew Valley‘s multiplayer patch currently has no release window for consoles. Released just a few weeks ago on PC, Mac, and Linux after an extensive public beta, the multiplayer update allows players to coexist in the Stardew Valley universe. “I don’t want to make any vague promises, so all I can say is that it’s in development,” wrote Barone, adding, “I will let you know the release date as soon as possible.”
I know many are wondering when the multiplayer update for consoles will come out. The truth is, I don’t have a set release date yet. I don’t want to make any vague promises, so all I can say is that it’s in development, and I will let you know the release date as soon as possible
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) September 4, 2018
In addition to providing an update (or lack thereof) on the state of Stardew Valley‘s multiplayer update, Barone also announced that the game will most likely not support cross-play. Replying to a post on Twitter, Barone stated, “Unfortunately, there will not be crossplay. Apparently, the technical barriers are very high.” That being said, Barone did not rule out the possibility of trying to implement cross-play in the future, writing, “It’s still something I really want to add and I promise to look into it more closely, but first priority is getting the update out there.”
Unfortunately, there will not be crossplay. Apparently, the technical barriers are very high. It’s still something I really want to add and I promise to look into it more closely, but first priority is getting the update out there
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) September 4, 2018
Considering Barone is, in many ways, the sole creative force behind Stardew Valley, these updates don’t come as much of a surprise. It makes sense that a game’s sole developer would not offer hard release dates or promise cross-play when there’s plenty of work to be done.
While patience is most definitely a virtue, I hope Stardew Valley‘s multiplayer update comes to consoles sooner rather than later. After all, I’m eager to put my friends to work on my farm.