Home

Stardew Valley 1.7 is officially bringing new marriage candidates to Pelican Town, and yes, one of them is Clint.

To mark the game’s 10-year anniversary, creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released a retrospective video looking back at Stardew Valley’s development, while also confirming that Clint and Sandy will become romanceable in the upcoming 1.7 update. It’s the first time in years that new marriage candidates have been added, making this a pretty significant shift for long-time players.

Clint And Sandy Confirmed For Stardew Valley 1.7

At the very end of the anniversary video, Barone revealed the two new spouses in classic low-key fashion, pulling their names from an envelope. The picks are Clint, Pelican Town’s blacksmith, and Sandy, the mysterious shopkeeper who runs the Oasis in the Calico Desert.

Clint is easily the more controversial choice. He’s often mocked by the community for his awkward personality, and some players have openly disliked how he behaves around Emily, especially if the farmer marries her. Giving him full romance events could be Barone’s way of expanding his character depth, much like previous updates fleshed out other villagers.

Sandy, on the other hand, has long been requested by fans. The main catch is that she lives in the desert, which players only unlock later in the game. That could make romancing her a more mid-to-late-game pursuit, potentially opening the door to new challenge runs and different pacing for relationships.

Barone had previously confirmed earlier this month that two new marriage candidates were coming in 1.7, which sparked plenty of speculation. Some players hoped for entirely new characters, others expected the Wizard, and a few even theorised about a divorce storyline making a married villager eligible. In the end, it’s Clint and Sandy stepping into the spotlight.

A Look Back At Stardew Valley’s Development

The anniversary video wasn’t just about romance. Barone walked through early builds of the game, including its 2012 prototype known as Sprout Valley. The footage shows a version heavily inspired by the Super Nintendo era Harvest Moon, with rough pixel art and a much more basic structure.

By 2013, Stardew Valley had started to resemble what we know today, though Barone described it as a strange transitional period where the game “hit puberty.” Early versions included features that were eventually scrapped, such as procedurally generated mines inspired by Terraria and even an underground goblin village that never made it into the final canon.

He also shared how close the project came to uncertainty before launch. After four and a half years of solo development, Stardew Valley launched on February 26, 2016, selling just under 40,000 copies on its first day. That early success confirmed to Barone that he could continue as a full-time developer, though he spent the following days rapidly patching bugs.

The retrospective highlights how much the game evolved post-launch, from adding Shane and Emily as marriage candidates in 1.1 after a community poll, to multiplayer in 1.3, Ginger Island in 1.5, and the more system-focused additions of 1.6.

What We Know About The 1.7 Update So Far

Beyond Clint and Sandy, Barone hasn’t shared detailed patch notes for Stardew Valley 1.7 yet. There’s currently no release window.

Given the pattern of previous updates, players can likely expect a mix of quality-of-life changes, new content, and system tweaks rather than a small patch. Every major 1.x update has meaningfully expanded the game in some way, whether through new farm types, endgame areas, or fresh relationship content.

For players who haven’t returned to the farm in a while, now might be the perfect time to start planning a new save file. And if you’ve ever wanted to give Clint a second chance, well, 1.7 might be your moment.

As Stardew Valley moves into its second decade, it’s clear that even without being a live service game, it’s still growing in ways that keep the community guessing.