The creator of Stardew Valley has put his next game on hold to continue work on the farm-focussed life sim.

The title's sole developer Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone has parted ways with publisher Chucklefish, although it will continue to support the Nintendo Switch and mobile versions of the game.

While Barone had planned to work on a new entry in the Stardew Valley universe, those plans have been put on hold to develop future content on his first title.

“I’m working on a new Stardew Valley update, and my new game is on hold for the time being,” said Barone in a blog post.

“I want to keep working on Stardew Valley and I also want to work on my new game. But I don’t have enough time to accomplish my goals with both things simultaneously.”

To lighten the load, Barone is hiring a team to assist with the future development of Stardew Valley content.

“I considered being finished with Stardew Valley altogether," he said.

"But that would make me (and many others) sad. So I’ve decided that I’m going to form a team to help me work on future Stardew Valley content.”

Until now, Barone had worked solo on both Stardew Valley and his upcoming project. While he will still be engaged with the former's writing and music, he hopes extra hands will help out with new code and art content.

“This is going to be a big change for me," said Barone.

"I’ve always worked alone, and working with a team is a whole new ballgame. My hope is that the new team will help take some of the workload off me, so I have enough breathing room to divide my time between my new game and Stardew Valley.”

The upcoming update 1.4 will be finished by Barone himself, with the new team coming aboard after it ships.