Haunted Chocolatier is the highly, highly anticipated follow-up to Stardew Valley, one of the biggest indie games of all time. But while this chocolate-making spiritual successor was announced way back in 2021, we've seen very little of the project, save for a handful of blog posts on creator ConcernedApe's website. The last update came in late January, and now, just under six months later, developer Eric Barone is checking back in with a new post to reassure fans he's still working on the game and explain why he's shown so little.

First, Barone thanks everyone for their patience, and gives some insight into why his development process is so time-consuming. "Lately, I’ve been revisiting the recipe book for making chocolates," Barone writes. "As with many things in the game, I’ve iterated on this many times, each time bringing it closer to its final form. To me, it’s not a simple task, as I torture myself over every last detail. This is a UI you will be using fairly often, so it has to be perfect."

While this recipe book is one of the core mechanics, he adds that he likes to "fuss over" his whole game this way. Ideally, the game will come out with a level of polish he's satisfied with (like how Stardew Valley is now), but that also means the process will take a long time. On that note, he says that his eye for detail and refinement is also the reason there are so few screenshots or gameplay clips in the wild.

"Side note… please excuse me, but I don’t like to share too many screenshots, or even talk about the systems in too much detail, while the game is in development," Barone's blog reads. "Partly, it feels like I’m serving a half-baked bread. I would rather serve a fully baked bread. Also, I know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them early, I risk disappointing players if the final product does not match their expectation."

Haunted Chocolatier currently has no release window. While Barone said he hoped to release the game within five years back in 2025, he has since clarified that this isn't a hard and fast date. "The bottom line is, I don’t want to give a release date," his January update reads. "The game will come out when it’s done."

For more Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley, you can check out guest contributor Ana Diaz's in-depth interview with Barone from issue 378, published online in May. For more on why Haunted Chocolatier is one of our most anticipated games, check out our collection of our Most Anticipated Games of 2026 (And Beyond) from issue 375.

Last November, FX announced that a limited Far Cry anthology series was in production. We already know the series is helmed by executive producers Noah Hawley (creator of FX’s Fargo and Alien: Earth) and Rob Mac (creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the latter of whom will also star in the show, but it's been announced that Lizzy Caplan is joining the cast.

Caplan most recently starred in Netflix’s Zero Day and the FX limited series Fleishman Is In Trouble, earning an Emmy nomination for the latter. The actress’s extensive credits also include Now You See Me 2 and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the Paramount+ series Fatal Attraction, Showtime’s Masters of Sex, and the 2023 horror film Cobweb. Personally, we remember Caplan best as Janis Ian in Mean Girls, but that’s just us.

Far Cry has no premiere date, and it’s unknown if the anthology series, which means each episode features a new setting and cast, will adapt any of the existing games or tell original stories. Far Cry is set to air on FX, Hulu, and internationally on Disney+. 

Ubisoft has another live-action series based on one of its IPs in the works. Netflix greenlit an Assassin's Creed series last year, and you can read more about that here. 

Capcom held one of its annual summer Spotlight showcases today. While it was light on major announcements, we did learn more about Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, the reveal of new story DLC for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and smaller updates for Onimusha: Way of the Sword and Resident Evil Requiem. Here's a summary of each notable announcement. 

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

• Additional Side Story: Rudy DLC is available today for $9.99 (free for Deluxe/Premium edition owners). The narrative explores the origin of Rudy, the Royal Feylne, and his ancestors.
• Players can challenge the powerful elder dragon Nergigante
• Downloading the update with a completed save file lets you challenge a harder version of the final battle. Winning this version of the fight turns all existing monsters into Royal Monsters in the field for stronger battles. 

Resident Evil Requiem

• The previously revealed Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy Amiibo have a release date: June 30

Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen

• The expansion's story takes place in the new northern region of Norgan and centers on the fallen dragon and a mysterious woman hunting it named Eir. 
• Introduces 12 unique dungeons
• Adds an expanded character editor
• Norgan features Relics players can find that can be appraised and forged into weapons/armor, which are stronger and can have special effects/skills
• An August update is planned before Dark Arisen's launch that will add additional save slots,  improve performance, adjust the Dragonsplauge condition with more treatment methods, and raise weapon skill slots to six. 

Onimusha: Way of the Sword

• New gameplay footage shows off a battle against a newly revealed Genma, Dohatsu-ten. 

Xbox consoles are getting a third price increase in roughly 13 months. Effective August 1, the costs of certain Xbox models are being raised worldwide by no less than $100.

An Xbox Wire post states that the 512 GB models of Xbox will increase in price by $100 and the 1 TB models by $150 in the U.S. The 2 TB Xbox Series X model is also being discontinued.

Xbox does not list the new prices, but this update would indicate that the affected consoles will soon be sold at the following prices:

Xbox Series S 512 GB - $499.99 (currently $399.99)

Xbox Series S 1 TB - $599.99 (currently $449.99)

Xbox Series X Digital 1 TB - $749.99 (currently $599.99)

Xbox Series X 1 TB - $799.99 (currently $649.99)

It's worth noting that Xbox recently revealed a limited 25th anniversary edition of the Series X with 1 TB of storage, launching in November. The price of this console has not been revealed, but one would have to imagine it, too, will be priced at an even higher premium. 

This most recent price adjustment follows previous price hikes in May and October of last year. Xbox appears to acknowledge the frustration these changes will likely create for consumers and cites the ongoing component crisis as the primary factor for the price adjustments. The company even says it expects this supply problem to worsen by the fall of 2027. Their message reads,

“Last October, we increased XBOX console price by $20-$70 in the U.S. We hoped another price increase would not be necessary, and we have spent the last several months working with suppliers on options. Unfortunately, console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027. The entire consumer electronics industry is struggling with the current components crisis, but the effects are particularly hard on consoles. Unlike phones, computers, speakers, and other consumer devices, consoles are typically not sold at a profit, but instead for less than they cost to make.”

Xbox is far from alone in this situation, as both Sony and Nintendo announced price increases for the PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, respectively, over the past year for similar reasons. Valve has also significantly raised the price of the Steam Deck, and its upcoming Steam Machine is priced at over $1,000 due to, again, the tumultuous economic conditions in the tech industry.

The news is another unfortunate blow for Xbox, which has made headlines in recent weeks due to reports of significant layoffs set to hit the gaming division in the coming weeks, if not days. Following the announcement of an Xbox reset by CEO Asha Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty, several Xbox-owned studios are reportedly at risk of being closed or spun off. Compulsion Games, Double Fine, and Ninja Theory have reportedly been negotiating their future, with further reports indicating Xbox unveiled Ninja Theory’s next game, Senua, during Summer Game Fest to attract a potential buyer for the studio. 

Earlier this month, NBA The Run arrived on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC to mixed reviews. Game Informer contributor Danreb Victorio gave it a 7.25 out of 10, summarizing his review by saying, "As it is, it’s too barebones to wholeheartedly recommend, but there’s a great game of basketball waiting for you if you don’t mind only playing online matches." Today, developer Play By Play Studios announced plans to rectify that when it revealed its roadmap, which includes more content, including an campaign mode.

In a new blog post, Play By Play revealed what fans can expect in the coming weeks, months, and even next year. It all starts today, with a new patch that addresses some bugs and tweaks gameplay, but that's the least consequential of the updates the studio laid out. Next month, players can expect new content and three new players, with a hint towards content surrounding the recent NBA Draft. 

In August, the title's seasons will kick off, starting with Summer Heat, which will reward an in-game championship belt that evolves over the course of the season. This update will bring a new drive camera to provide a more modern gameplay feel, as well as a comms wheel, practice mode, two new rulesets, new shop items, leaderboards, and another NYC court playable in both daytime and tournament variations. This August update will include updates to the player AI, HUD, and balancing.  You can also expect more players, with Play By Play potentially hinting at this update including legends from the past. 

Then, in the fall, new content will continue with new seasons arriving every two to three months, with the studio eyeing new features like Ranked and Ladders for its online play and voice chat. Then, finally, as the blog post says, the "big one:" campaign mode. The studio hesitates to provide full details, but the hope is that it can be played solo or with friends, and locally or online. The current timeline says "spring 2027," but as the studio indicates, "to do this right, it's going to take time." 

NBA The Run arrived on June 9. For more on the NBA Street spiritual successor, read our review.