Mark Your Calendar, You Don’t Want a Repeat of Last Time
The Stardew Valley board game was, evidently, a bit more popular than expected. It was originally released on February 23rd of this year, and by the end of the next day, it had completely sold out. That day, the game’s creator said that they’d have another wave of product ready to go at some point – and while it may have taken a long time to prepare, he held true to his promise. Pre-orders go live on November 3rd.
A blog post describing the release covers a few key topics, like shipping times and distribution outside the United States:
“Shipping in time for Christmas may not be possible. Games are being assembled in Michigan and transported to Florida for fulfillment as we speak. Our fulfillment company Quartermaster has let us know that these orders should arrive to customers before Christmas, but please be aware that the state of shipping (internationally and domestic) is severely impacted right now by world events.”
In addition, the game has seen some tweaks since its last release. Those behind its creation have been listening closely to player feedback, and have spent the wait adjusting things accordingly.
From the same blog post: “We spent time after the original launch to gather feedback and make some improvements. For example, many people felt that the Mines were too difficult. After looking more closely, we figured that a number of the Mine Map cards could result in frustrating results frequently, so these were adjusted. The difficulty is not much affected, but the chance of getting nothing for your efforts is greatly reduced.”
Those who missed out on the original printing may have had to wait 7 months for that promise to come true, and if the last release is anything to go by, they should keep a close eye on their calendar if they want to play a Stardew experience in physical form. Those printing copies of the game have better information on customer demand this time around, but better safe than sorry!