8 Video Games Built To Kill The Competition (That WON)

3. Stardew Valley

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Eric Barone

Farm sim Stardew Valley started its life as a fan-created homage to the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise, which developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone felt had declined significantly since the release of 1999's Harvest Moon: Back to Nature.

Stardew launched to rave reviews and huge commercial success in 2016, all while Story of Seasons continued to limp along with a battery of so-so, underwhelming releases.

So while Story of Seasons was absolutely on the firm downslidebefore Stardew ever arrived on the scene, Stardew's release absolutely clinched it, improving upon the formula of its inspiration in basically every conceivable way.

With more than 30 million copies sold as of 2024, Stardew Valley is a genuine pop-culture mainstay in its own right that even the most casual non-gamers have heard of, while Story of Seasons has all but slid into fair obscurity.

For a game conceived as an homage - and developed by a fan, no less - to exceed the achievements of its inspiration is astoundingly impressive.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.