Stardew Valley multiplayer is coming along nicely, thank you very much

The multiplayer update for Stardew Valley, the chilled-out, low-fidelity farming simulator that first launched in 2016, is coming along nicely. The team said yesterday on Twitter that it’s currently in the quality assurance phase and that “bugs are being fixed at a very good pace.” The update is expected to be released in early 2018.

Stardew Valley’s multiplayer mode was detailed last August in a post on the game’s official website. It will include the ability to recruit up to three friends to act as farmhands, extra workers who live in cabins on a player’s farm. Friends can have their own inventories, plant crops and marry whomever they choose — potentially including other players.

One downside is that multiplayer is not expected to include split-screen cooperative play. Instead, the game will rely strictly on the online systems already in place on Steam and consoles.

Additionally, horses will now be able to wear hats.

When it lands, the update will roll out for Linux, Mac and Windows PC first. Then it will make its way to Nintendo Switch, and finally to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.