Stardew Valley modder-turned-dev says working on their “favourite game” is the “most rewarding experience” of their life

ConcernedApe’s phenomenal indie game Stardew Valley is one of the most popular games ever made, bolstered by an extremely talented modding community that keeps the game alive. 

One of the best mods for the adorable pixel-art farming game is Stardew Valley Expanded, a massive fan-made expansion for the game created by Devin “FlashShifter” Hedegaard. Now an official developer working on updates for the game, the developer reveals that creating new content for the game has been the “most rewarding experience” of their life. 

Stardew Valley developer speaks out on joining the team 

After years of developing amazing fan content for Stardew Valley, Hedegaard joined the game’s official development to create its 1.6 update alongside ConcernedApe. After working on the game for more than half-a-decade, the modder was asked to join the team for the game’s amazing last update that also made modding the game even more accessible.

“Working on my favorite game in the world has been the most rewarding experience of my life,” the modder-turned-developer told Nexus Mods in a recent interview. 

After falling in love with Stardew Valley in 2017 and installing over 100 mods on the PC version, Hedegaard created their own massive expansion, which still receives its own updates. 

“Even after everything… I still craved more. But it didn’t exist. So, I started to learn how to mod the game,” they explained. “I taught myself how to code, script, draw pixel art, make music, design maps, write character stories, etc. I set out to simply have fun modding for the first time in my life, not knowing exactly where it would eventually take me.”

After hitting some financial trouble, Hedegaard reached out to ConcernedApe for possible work, a gambit that resulted in the modder becoming an official Stardew Valley developer working on the game’s 1.6 update. 

“I took a chance and asked ConcernedApe for work, and he hired me,” the developer said. “Looking back, it feels like everything unfolded exactly how it was meant to. As for what I contributed to the Stardew Valley 1.6 update, that’s staying a secret and I prefer it that way. I don’t think it’s necessary to divide credit over who did what. My work at ConcernedApe LLC will also stay under wraps for now!”

Stardew Valley hasn’t only resulted in modders becoming official Stardew devs, but it’s also inspired countless other cosy games over the years. More than 12 years after the game’s release, ConcernedApe’s revision of the Harvest Moon formula has created a new generation of comfortable farming games that just keep on coming.