A former Stardew Valley dev is making his own love letter to the Harvest Moon games. Sunkissed City is set to launch in 2026

First, a quick note about the “former Stardew Valley dev” thing – if you thought Stardew Valley was made only by Eric Barone (ConcernedApe), you’re not wrong. He did create the whole game by himself. But once it blew up and updates became more than just a handful of extras, he put together a small team in 2018 to help out (which he even mentioned in the latest Haunted Chocolatier post). Arthur Lee, aka Mr. Podunkian, worked on SV’s 1.4 and 1.5 updates, and then shifted to his own project, Sunkissed City, which was announced in 2024. Now it’s set to launch next year.

A true farming life, but city-style

Sunkissed City definitely takes a lot of inspiration from Harvest Moon farm-sim genre, which was later reinvented by Stardew Valley. It’s a cozy life simulator set in the sunny Apollo City. Instead of a quiet rural farm, you’re in a bustling metropolis full of quirky characters, hidden spots to explore, and a community you can help grow – all while dealing with strange problems like aggressive wildlife, empty waters, monsters in the sewers, and other citywide oddities.

Related:Stardew Valley Co-creator is Making His Own City Life Sim; Apollo City Looks Charming

You start your new life as part of the Peco Pioneer program run by the in-game “Pico” corporation, helping reconnect with the community and push eco-friendly initiatives. A much different approach than Stardew Valley’s JojaMart.

Sunkissed City; Developer: Mr. Podunkian

Social life is a big part of the game too: you can make friends, build relationships, and even find romance. Plus, you can team up with mysterious creatures called the Keby to help restore the city’s vibrancy.

Sunkissed City was supposed to come out a while ago, but Mr. Podunkian has pushed the release date a couple of times. At the end of November, he posted on X that the game won’t be launching this year.

Steam now lists the release window as 2026. Yes, it’s a pretty broad timeframe, but fingers crossed it sticks this time. Hopefully, we’ll get more details soon.

Mr. Podunkian also developed Wasted in 2016 and contributed to other projects, including Vesper (2021), Dungeon (2009), and Merry Gear Sol!d (2006).

Sunkissed City

2026

Want It!

• Overview

• indie games
• life simulators