From the interview, "During E3, [GamerTell] got an opportunity to talk with Story of Seasons producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto. Jenni Lada asked him questions about what makes this game stand out from the Harvest Moon games, and future plans for the franchise"
The confusion around Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon explained.
"Marvelous Europe Limited are today excited to announce that the beloved life simulation and farming franchise STORY OF SEASONS, known as Bokujou Monogatari in Japan and previously known as HARVEST MOON in the west, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this month." - Marvelous Europe.
Pioneers of Olive Town has some striking differences that expand upon gameplay, but also several subtler alterations that make it just that bit smoother to play.