Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has teased fans with a new screenshot for forthcoming game Haunted Chocolatier.

The image, shared on X (formerly Twitter), shows what looks to be the game's player character speaking to an old man with a long white beard who is resting in bed.

Sound familiar?

To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Newscast: The hidden gems of Gamescom 2023Watch on YouTube

Yes, Stardew Valley players have noted the old man looks remarkably similar to Grandpa, who bequeaths the player his farm at the start of the game.

Will Haunted Chocolatier start in a similar fashion, with Grandpa leaving his chocolate factory to the player?

here's a haunted chocolatier screne pic.twitter.com/bCVy3NJaMS

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) September 5, 2023To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings

Or, as one response has suggested, is this the very same Grandpa who is in fact a multi-industry mogul? Does this mean he'll die in two places at once? Or does this make Haunted Chocolatier a prequel to Stardew Valley?

Perhaps this is a completely different Grandpa, or an alternate universe Grandpa?

Or, simply, this old man is a completely different character. But the design seems too similar to be coincidental.

Barone has slowly been working away at Haunted Chocolatier since its announcement in October 2021, and has since confirmed a greater focus on combat plus boss battles.

However, the solo developer paused progress earlier this year to focus back on Stardew Valley and its update 1.6. That's yet to be released, but Barone teased some of its content, including a new festival, new items, more dialogue, and other secrets.