Stardew Valley
stardewvalley.net
Open-ended farming and life simulation RPG set in a small countryside town.
diff ~/p/eric-barone ~/p/tom-happ
Eric Barone vs Tom Happ
Products, revenue & stack compared side by side.
Eric Barone vs Tom Happ at a glance
Both Eric Barone and Tom Happ are bootstrapped solo founders. They overlap in Indie Game Makers. Eric is based in Seattle, United States, Tom in Bell Canyon, United States. Eric started in 2011 and Tom in 2010. Eric Barone has 2 products listed on IndieMakerList vs Tom Happ's 2. They share 2 tools in their stacks: C# and MonoGame. On X, Eric has about 1.4M followers and Tom about 18K.
Side-by-side comparison
- Based in
- Eric Barone: Seattle, United States
- Tom Happ: Bell Canyon, United States
- Started
- Eric Barone: 2011 (15 yrs indie)
- Tom Happ: 2010 (16 yrs indie)
- Revenue (self-reported)
- Eric Barone: Not public
- Tom Happ: Not public
- Products listed
- Eric Barone: 2
- Tom Happ: 2
- Product status
- Eric Barone: 2 active
- Tom Happ: 2 active
- X followers
- Eric Barone: 1.4M
- Tom Happ: 18K
- Style
- Eric Barone: solobootstrapped
- Tom Happ: solobootstrapped
- Courses & resources
- Eric Barone: —
- Tom Happ: —
Revenue figures are self-reported by each maker and not audited; dates and scope differ. Highlighted categories are shared by both.
Top products
Haunted Chocolatier
hauntedchocolatier.net
Upcoming game about running a chocolate shop in a haunted castle, with more focus on combat than Stardew Valley.
Axiom Verge
store.steampowered.com
Retro Metroidvania built entirely by one person, known for its glitch gun and secrets.
Axiom Verge 2
store.steampowered.com
Sequel with a new protagonist, a dual-world map and drone hacking.
Tech stack
2 shared tools, marked with ★: C#, MonoGame. See the indie maker tech stack.
C# (shared)XNA MonoGame (shared)
MonoGame (shared) C# (shared)
How they build
- Make the game you personally want to play, and do every part of it yourself if needed.
- Keep supporting players with free updates long after launch.
- Avoid paid DLC and microtransactions; treat the game as a complete product.
- Take the time a game needs rather than rushing a release.
- Do every discipline yourself when the vision is personal.
- Reward exploration with hidden secrets.
- Work with the speedrunning community on official modes.
Eric Barone vs Tom Happ FAQ
Who makes more money, Eric Barone or Tom Happ?
Neither Eric Barone nor Tom Happ has publicly reported a revenue figure that IndieMakerList tracks, so it's not public.
Who has built more products, Eric Barone or Tom Happ?
Eric Barone has 2 products listed (Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier); Tom Happ has 2 products listed (Axiom Verge and Axiom Verge 2).
What tech stack do Eric Barone and Tom Happ use?
Eric Barone uses C#, XNA and MonoGame. Tom Happ uses MonoGame and C#. Tools they have in common: C# and MonoGame.
Where are Eric Barone and Tom Happ based?
Eric Barone: Seattle, United States. Tom Happ: Bell Canyon, United States.
Who has been an indie maker longer, Eric Barone or Tom Happ?
Eric Barone started in 2011 (15 years indie); Tom Happ started in 2010 (16 years indie).
Are Eric Barone and Tom Happ bootstrapped?
Yes, both are listed as bootstrapped founders on IndieMakerList.
Full profiles
Read the full story, timeline and links on Eric Barone's profile and Tom Happ's profile.
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