Stardew Valley is getting split-screen local co-op

By Ewdison Then/

With games like Farmville and The Sims being runaway successes on their own, it was really only a matter of time before someone mashed those two together to take a life of its own. Actually inspired more by Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley is a critically-acclaimed game that continues to spread its roots and grow on other platforms. Its next trick will be to split your screen, figuratively, of course, so that you can play with safely-distanced friends in the same room.

Stardew Valley, which started out as a single-player game in 2016, added multiplayer capabilities back in 2018. There were a few catches with its multi-player implementation, including having no cross-platform cross-play support. It was also limited to being online-only, which means huddled friends can only see their own screens.

Creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone teased that the next major update to the game will finally fix that. In version 1.5, split-screen support will be added, allowing players to finally see each other side by side. Or side by side by side by side, depending on the platform.

Barone says that the feature will land on both console and PCs but only PCs will support having 4 simultaneous players, pretty much mimicking the online multiplayer experience. Other platforms will be limited to only two players. Hopefully, the Nintendo Switch, which natively supports four-player local co-op, won't be that limited.

Amusingly but not surprisingly, the single screenshot has already sent the games' fans on a clue-hunting frenzy. Some picked out hints of new features, like a slime wearing cool sunglasses, building on what looks like a beach, and more. If Barone keeps to his schedule, Stardew Valley 1.5 could be out by the end of November.

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