In case you didn’t know, Stardew Valley is now an esport. Anyone familiar with the last-minute rush to complete some vital task before falling asleep knows that, despite its appearance as a relaxing farming game, Stardew Valley can be challenging. The Stardew Valley Cup merely confirms this.
On September 4, four teams competed for a prize pool of $40,000 in a tournament. Each was given a beach farm on a co-op map and three hours to complete as many challenges from a list of over 100 as they could. Unsurpassable Z, who co-hosted the Stardew Valley Cup with Stardew creator Eric ‘ConcernedApe’ Barone on Twitch, created the challenges.
These tasks ranged from simple tasks like giving Pam a pale ale for five points to more difficult tasks like reaching level 100 in the Skull Cavern for 25 points. Despite the fact that the teams had only two weeks before the competition to create a strategy, a bonus 50-point challenge was thrown in every half hour to tempt them away from it.
Stardew Valley Cup Winner
Sandy’s Candies won the first Stardew Valley Cup. TheHaboo, brandiganBTW, lilsimsie, and Fuzzireno of Sandy’s Candies team finished with 661 points, surpassing second-place winners Pierree’s Cherries on 597 points thanks to a last-minute points banking strategy. The winning team receives $28,000, with $10,000 going to second place, $4,000 going to third, and $1,600 going to fourth.
“It’s really cool to be able to do something like this and that there’s so many people would be interested in this little, scrappy, indie farming game that I made.”
Eric Barone
On Twitch, you can watch the commentary of the Stardew Valley Cup, or you can see how it went from the perspective of the winners. Previously Stardew Valley joined Xbox Game Pass in August.
