Stardew Valley to receive long-awaited feature: Voice acting coming this fall
Stardew Valley is one of the most beloved farming and life sims of all time, yet it has always lacked one key element: voice acting. That’s where the upcoming fan mod Stardew Voices comes in. Currently in development for PC, it is scheduled for release in fall 2025.
The project is led by US developer and voice actress Shannon Hobby, who combines her passions for voice acting and software development in this community-driven effort. With no commercial angle, she describes working on Stardew Voices as a personally meaningful and rewarding experience.
The planned scope is ambitious: all twelve marriage candidates in Stardew Valley will receive full voiceovers, covering dialogue during events and festivals as well as the everyday speech bubbles players encounter around town. For now, other characters will remain silent. A preview featuring Abigail is already available on Nexus Mods.
What sets the project apart is Shannon’s firm commitment to using only real voice actors – AI voices are not an option. The cast includes seasoned professionals such as Diana Jurand (House of Cards) as Abigail, Jonathan David Bullock (My Time at Sandrock) as Shane and Aiden Dawn (Genshin Impact, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora) as Leah. The first voice samples were showcased in an official cast trailer on YouTube in mid-August.
The response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive. Under the short introduction video on YouTube, fans have flooded the comments with excitement and anticipation. Many say they are ready to play Stardew Valley “for the millionth time” just to hear the new voices. Abigail’s casting has received particular praise, along with the overall audio quality. A few critics have noted that it might feel a bit off if only some characters are voiced, but the overall reaction remains enthusiastic.
Source(s)
Shannon Hobby via YouTube
Image source: Steam
