The software engineering isn't the impressive part of Stardew Valley. Aside from the multiplayer code (which is the only part he had outside help with), an aver

The software engineering isn't the impressive part of Stardew Valley. Aside from the multiplayer code (which is the only part he had outside help with), an average developer could cobble together a functionally similar engine in a weekend. What's impressive about Stardew Valley is that one guy did all the coding and all the writing, all the art, all the music, and all the game design, while also managing to produce an instant classic that also happens to be his first game ever. The continued development pushed as free updates almost a decade after release is the icing on the cake; there is no explanation other than that he's making this game because he loves doing it and he takes pride in his work, rather than trying to follow mainstream game dev dogma and try to produce a platform for soon-parting fools from their money.