AdHoc Studio's Dispatch has achieved huge success in 2025 despite facing publisher abandonment and industry challenges. Co-founders Nick Herman and Pierre Shorette revealed the game's rocky journey from a live-action concept to an episodic superhero comedy. The team is now seriously discussing a second season, though they anticipate significant pressure to deliver quickly.
Development Challenges
Dispatch began as an interactive live-action television series, similar to Netflix's Bandersnatch, developed for a company linked to Walmart. The project advanced to shoot dates but was halted by COVID-19, prompting a pivot to a video game format. Early concepts featured a sadder tone with a focus on one hero, but the team shifted toward optimism, influenced by the 'Ted Lasso effect' amid real-world darkening.
Halfway through development, a publisher connected to Embracer Group dropped AdHoc due to financial issues during the industry's 2023 collapse. 'We were at the tip of the spear of it all popping,' Shorette said. Contract work, including on Telltale's The Wolf Among Us 2, kept the studio afloat. Rejections persisted for years, with critics calling it a 'dead genre.' Ultimately, AdHoc self-published, gaining full control and ownership.
Path to Success
The final game introduces a dispatching system for managing a Z-team of misfit superheroes like Invisigal, Blonde Blazer, and Malevola. Gameplay evolved from cinematic prototypes to strategic map-based missions, reducing costs while fitting the workplace comedy theme. Starring Aaron Paul as Robert, the series blends humor and heart, surprising the team with players' emotional attachment—75% chose Invisigal in key decisions, contrary to internal tests.
Dispatch has sold 2 million copies, earning GOTY buzz despite partial eligibility for The Game Awards. 'It seems absurd now to think Dispatch would be anything but a success,' the article notes, crediting the charm and swagger.
Looking Ahead
A second season is under serious consideration, with plans to convene soon. 'As seriously as anything,' Shorette affirmed, but likened it to the 'difficult second album'—lacking the seven years for the first. 'There were zero expectations for Season 1,' Herman added, highlighting added pressure from fan theories. AdHoc also simmers on a Critical Role game set in Exandria.
