My time has come: ‘Stardew Valley’ is officially an esport now

By: 3 years ago

Esports is all good and fun, but some of us “gamers” would rather wallow in the chiller side of poking buttons to make pixels move (i.e. me). Unfortunately, that’s hardly an option when tournaments prefer bloodbaths. Well, until now—because the latest game added to the growing esports library is none other than “Stardew Valley.”

Announced by the game’s creator Eric Barone and “Stardew” content creator Zach “Unsurpassable Z” Hartman, the popular 8-bit farming simulation is officially an esport, thanks to an upcoming tournament where $40,000 is up for grabs.

In collaboration with @UnsurpassableZ, I'm pleased to announce the 1st official Stardew Valley Cup! It's a competition of skill, knowledge, and teamwork, with a prize pool of over $40k. See some of Stardew's most dedicated players in their element! Main event is Sept. 4th 9am PST pic.twitter.com/qtDW5e5LvD

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) August 21, 2021

Barone detailed that the first official “Stardew Valley Cup” would consist of four teams battling for farming glory, namely Sandy’s Candies, Pierree’s Cherries, Pam’s Yams, and Krobus’s Crocuses. The teams will compete in 100 challenges that they must complete in three hours, ranging from beach farm basics to reaching floor 100 in the Skull Cavern. Points also vary depending on the task’s difficulty.

Hartman says the teams will have two weeks to prep a game plan. But according to the brains behind the Cup, expect a few changes from your usual “Stardew” sesh, as there are bound to be plot twists hidden in the game’s traps.

The first Stardew Valley Cup is happening on Unsurpassable Z’s Twitch channel on Sept. 4, 9 a.m. Pacific Time—that’s Sept. 5, midnight in the Philippines. (Hey, at least it’s a Sunday.)

To hype you up till then, here are a couple of lessons we jotted down while toiling hard in “Stardew Valley.” Who knew 8-bit farming can get me all existential?

Screenshot from “Stardew Valley”