Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone, commonly known as ConcernedApe, just announced the first-ever Stardew Valley Cup tournament with a $40,000 winning prize. It was recently announced that the popular farming simulator will be one of several indie games coming to Xbox Game Pass this coming fall, in a move considered to be a big win for indie games.
As a farming simulator in the vein of games like Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon, players spend most of their time in Stardew Valley growing and personalizing their farms while building relationships with the charming citizens of Pelican Town. The game became an indie hit back when it was released in 2016 for PC. It was then ported to Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft consoles, as well as mobile devices. The development of Stardew Valley is just as appealing as its gameplay, though - the robust experience was developed by just one person. In the years following the game's release, Barone has been steadfast in his support of it amid the rapidly changing game industry by consistently adding new content to Stardew Valley.
ConcernedApe now appears to be looking to bring Stardew Valley into the world of competitive gaming, according to an announcement he made on Twitter yesterday. The tweet, which took the form of a trailer video, revealed that an event called the Stardew Valley Cup will be taking place on September 4 at 9 a.m. PST. The tournament will be hosted on Twitch in collaboration with streamer Unsurpassable Z, and will feature four teams: Sandy's Candies, Pierree's Cherries, Pam's Yams, and Krobus's Crocuses. Each team will be comprised of four players, meaning individual competitors have a chance to win $10,000 if the prize money is split evenly.
Not much is stated with regard to the specifics of the tournament, but ConcernedApe claims that it is "a competition of skill, knowledge and teamwork." Stardew Valley may not feature the high-speed gameplay of competitive classics like Super Smash Bros., but giving the game a competitive platform is not out of question. Harvesting crops, fishing and raising animals are at the heart of Stardew Valley's gameplay, so it is possible the competition will center around optimizing farm efficiency.
Competitive gaming is becoming increasingly popular, as evidenced by stories like the Korean high school that included League of Legends as part of its curriculum. Stardew Valley dipping its toes into the competitive gaming world could bring more variety to esports, seeing as its gameplay is different than staples like Overwatch. Fans will have to wait and see if the Stardew Valley Cup ends up being a one-off novelty event or a long-running gaming tradition.
Source: ConcernedApe/Twitter