Since the release of Stardew Valley, the developer has collaborated with other studios, adding special content. References to his creation have appeared in Terraria, Enter the Gungeon, Balatro, and even Borderlands 3. Recently, a new collaboration with the adventure project Infinity Nikki was announced, and it was in connection with this event that Barone commented on collaborations.
The developer noted on X that he has never received money for working with other studios. He provided the rights to Stardew Valley because he was a fan of the games he was doing crossovers with, and for the enjoyment of the players.
"Just to clarify, I've never taken any money for collaborations. I only decided to do them because I was a fan of other games myself or believed that players would like it."
Fans in the comments noted that Barone deserved to be paid for his work. The developer stated that this was not necessary - the income from the sale of the game was enough. With his actions, including large free updates, he has always shown that the joy of the fans is most important to him.
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Cover author: ConcernedApe. Cover source: Steam