Stardew Valley - Has made over 30 Million

Silver · January 6, 2017

@GameRevolution they talk about how well Stardew Valley has done.

Unlike most games in the industry, Stardew Valley was released at a low price point. At an MSRP of $14.99, it was one of the least expensive games released in 2016. Although such a price point is commonly associated with short-lived indie experiences, Stardew Valley would accumulate dozens of hours of entertainment from the average player.

Stardew Valley was soon thrust into the spotlight, hitting the number one spot on Steam's Top Seller list, accelerating sales into the hundreds of thousands within the first two weeks. It was no longer a game simply looking to fill a void left by Harvest Moon, it was one on the verge of becoming a phenomenon.

Nearly a year later Stardew Valley would release on console, a place ripe with opportunity. Debuting during December to virtually no competition, it easily found its way onto the Xbox Store and PlayStation Store best-seller lists. And, once again, it was met with glowing reviews.

By the end of 2016 it was estimated that Stardew Valley was owned by more than two million Steam users. This statistic puts the title's estimated revenue at over $25 million on PC alone. Given its performance on Xbox One and PS4, it is very likely that it's now sitting on a growing pile of $35 million.

Related: GameRevolution Interview with Stardew Valley's Creator, Eric Barone

This figure would be considered a success for the typical development studio that spends an average of $20 to $25 million to create a game. But this wasn't made by a development studio. Instead, it was made by a single person.

More information.

Ripper · January 6, 2017

Now that's how to do it.

Caddy · January 6, 2017

Ripper said:
Now that's how to do it.

Definitely. Only one person who developed it. That makes for one wealthy Concerned Ape.

Cronis · January 6, 2017

I'm actually playing this game right now and it's quite entertaining even though its in a genre I wouldn't normally play. Give it a try if you haven't already, its worth the hype it's gotten.

Archangel · January 7, 2017

I got this for my 5 year old. I had enough exposure to it through that, and I cannot understand why any grown up would play this shit. But I can understand the large sales, there are a lot of kids out there.

Hyperion · January 7, 2017

Honestly, I laughed when I saw some of my friends playing this and asked them why they're playing Farmville. I have 30 hours in it since I bought it on New Years day. :embarrassed:

Hyperion · January 7, 2017

Archangel said:
I got this for my 5 year old. I had enough exposure to it through that, and I cannot understand why any grown up would play this shit. But I can understand the large sales, there are a lot of kids out there.

If you want to keep that attitude, I'd highly suggest that you don't try playing it yourself. Because if you do, 20 hours later you'll wind up hiding from your friends so that they don't see you playing it.

Hyperion · January 7, 2017

The game isn't a hardcore challenging RPG. It doesn't have great or even good graphics. But it does have plenty of depth and tons of stuff to do, and it's a very, very chill game. If you want a chill game that still will keep you interested and busy, this is the game. Not sure what to compare it to, I never play games like this. Maybe like a nice and relaxed version of Rimworld where all of your stuff doesn't burn down every other day. I tried it because it was $10 (the price of a cheap lunch) and all the good reviews. I would highly suggest that any RPG fan try this for a change of pace.

ChienAboyeur · January 7, 2017

That is it: a grinder to chill out.
It must also be factored in that it is also a copy of a pre existing product, which relieves from resources spent to experiment and developp.

Copying is only bad when the Chinese do it. When some others do it, it is the mark of genius.

Caddy · January 7, 2017

ChienAboyeur said:
That is it: a grinder to chill out.
It must also be factored in that it is also a copy of a pre existing product, which relieves from resources spent to experiment and developp.

Copying is only bad when the Chinese do it. When some others do it, it is the mark of genius.

If this were actually the case, everything you just said could be applied to every RPG, RTS and FPS in existence.

This was a genre hole left empty in the wake of Harvest Moon, and this guy capitalized on everyone wanting more.

ChienAboyeur · January 7, 2017

The post came after another, that cancels the necessity of quoting.

Now that another post reads points that shows that everything that was written could not be applied to every RPG etc

The game isn't a hardcore challenging RPG.

Maybe like a nice and relaxed version of Rimworld where all of your stuff doesn't burn down every other day.

SV recipe to success lies in it being a grinder to chill out. It fits the myth of hard work, the relationship between effort and reward is secured to the utmost.

The financial success was massively helped as it is a copy that adds nothing. There is no R&D cost associated to it.

This last point cant be applied to every single product as some keep trying to add.

The only thing that SV provides is a case to exhibit a double standard (for the ones who still have got it after all those years)
Copying is not bad, it is bad when certain people do it. Others can thrive on that and be praised for that.

Entire societies were wiped out as they were judged guilty of copying (and mostly themselves)

Majnun · January 7, 2017

Completely NOT a type of game I would normally play. But for some reason I bought it and have loved every minute of it.

The developer seems like a nice person and actually cares about his game and the people who love it so he deserves all the money.

I just hope he takes a while to let it soak in and makes something amazing for his next game.

CelticFrost · January 7, 2017

ChienAboyeur said:
Copying is only bad when the Chinese do it. When some others do it, it is the mark of genius.

Lets be fair here. The Chinese don't take an existing product and improve it. They out right copy it only making it inferior in slave labor factories.

rune_74 · January 7, 2017

ChienAboyeur said:
That is it: a grinder to chill out.
It must also be factored in that it is also a copy of a pre existing product, which relieves from resources spent to experiment and developp.

Copying is only bad when the Chinese do it. When some others do it, it is the mark of genius.

Ok, I'm going to say what I think others are just too nice to say.

You don't like it, you made it known in every thread. Move on.

You do this with a lot of indie games and you go off on weird ass tangents trying to come off as the superior when all you are really doing is displaying your condescending attitude. It sucks.

ChienAboyeur · January 7, 2017

It might be hard to see how SV improves on HM. SV was qualified as a missed opportunity on this forum.

If there is something superior in it, it may be it was done by an acceptable person.
That is all.

The Chinese are a present example of the execution of the mindset. As a reminder, Chinese societies were not destroyed as a consequence of being labelled and assaulted for not being innovative.

Other societies were destroyed and they mostly copied themselves.

SV is a copy of a japanese product.

Majnun said:
I just hope he takes a while to let it soak in and makes something amazing for his next game.

Will depend on the game he'll copy.

rune_74 · January 7, 2017

ChienAboyeur said:
It might be hard to see how SV improves on HM. SV was qualified as a missed opportunity on this forum.

If there is something superior in it, it may be it was done by an acceptable person.
That is all.

The Chinese are a present example of the execution of the mindset. As a reminder, Chinese societies were not destroyed as a consequence of being labelled and assaulted for not being innovative.

Other societies were destroyed and they mostly copied themselves.

SV is a copy of a japanese product.

Will depend on the game he'll copy.

/joke.

mercy · January 7, 2017

Hyperion said:
If you want to keep that attitude, I'd highly suggest that you don't try playing it yourself. Because if you do, 20 hours later you'll wind up hiding from your friends so that they don't see you playing it.

I found myself diligently reaping the crops in Xulima's first city a lot of times. It gave me instant satisfaction. The guy is a genius. Anybody who makes millions with a game is a genius! Try to beat them!

sakichop · January 8, 2017

I played an hour or so on my sons computer and was just plain bored. Not surprising though as it's not my type of game at all.

Like it or not though you have to admit it's an amazing accomplishment for a 1 man crew. Very impressive.

fadedc · January 8, 2017

I definitely liked this game a lot. I've played a few of the harvest moon games and a few of the rune factory games, and I definitely thought this game did the best with the whole farming/making the best use of your limited time gameplay. I was actually a little surprised with how popular the game is here, since it seemed like more of a niche game. But with those sales I guess it's more popular than I'd think.

Elel · January 9, 2017

I have to say I don't really like that. The guy above, even if he's a troll, is right. There's something wrong with the world when some guy entirely copies a super-successful game and everyone praises him to heavens, as if he's a genius.

I was sure that this game would be super popular, because it's a copy of a super popular game which never got released on PC. Which meant that it would be new to a lot of players.

I actually didn't play it, just because I didn't like the fact that it's a copy. It seemed wrong to me from the start and I didn't want to support it.

Just imagine if someone created a copy of Sims. Not a game like The Singles, but a full copy of Sims. That's exactly what this guy did. Fanfiction (which uses the work of others) is free, so this guy should've spread this game for free, since he is not its creator. All that looks like a dirty trick.

Stardew Valley - Has made over 30 Million

Spaceman

Зичу Вам успіхів

Broken Screwdriver

Watchdog

SasqWatch

Sentinel

Sentinel

Sentinel

SasqWatch

Broken Screwdriver

SasqWatch

Sentinel

SasqWatch

SasqWatch

SasqWatch

SasqWatch

SasqWatch

sakichop

Guest

SasqWatch

Devout Priestess of RPGs