Stardew Valley’s Developer Has a Role in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong players who have looked at the credits of the game may recognize a familiar name, as the creator of Stardew Valley played a role in the title. While his presence doesn’t mean that the games have crossed over, the two games have sometimes been compared, as they’re both wildly successful indie releases, with only a year separating the launch of Stardew Valley and the original Hollow Knight game.

Hollow Knight fans have been waiting for a sequel for years, and were understandably put into a frenzy when the release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced just weeks prior to it launching. Fans were even more impressed and excited when it was announced that Silksong would arrive on digital game platforms for a low price of just $19.99, especially as the industry as a whole is gradually shifting towards the cost of games increasing past the typical $69.99 price.

Stardew Valley Dev Played Role in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Stardew Valley fans may be surprised to discover that the game’s developer, Eric Barone, played a role in Hollow Knight: Silksong. According to the game’s credits, which can be viewed under Extras on the title screen, Barone is credited as one of the people who provided additional character voices for Silksong. Given the connections fans see between Stardew Valley and the original Hollow Knight‘s success, some speculated that it was too coincidental for someone with that name to be credited and not be the same person. Sure enough, the head of operations at ConcernedApe LLC confirmed that it was indeed the Stardew Valley developer to The Verge.

It’s not clear if the developers of Hollow Knight: Silksong reached out to Eric Barone offering him a small role, or if the request was the other way around. Barone has also refrained from revealing who he plays in the game, with the aforementioned rep saying they didn’t want to spoil any surprises. Even the wording was vague, so it’s not clear if he plays one role or more.

While Hollow Knight: Silksong fans are now eagerly exploring the sequel they’ve waited so long for, Stardew Valley fans have some exciting news of their own. While the long-awaited second game from ConcernedApe, Haunted Chocolatier, is still a long ways off, he has announced that Stardew Valley will receive a 1.7 patch in the future. What this will entail is a mystery for now, but Barone tends to tease elements in the lead-up to major patch releases. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of both indie games.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Released

September 4, 2025

Developer(s)

Team Cherry

Publisher(s)

Team Cherry

Engine

Unity

Franchise

Hollow Knight

Number of Players

Single-player