AdHoc Studio
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Dispatch Xbox Series Release Set for Summer
AdHoc Studio announced that its narrative adventure game, Dispatch, will be released for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Cloud this Summer. The game follows Robert Roberson, a former superhero who now manages ex-supervillains at a dispatch center, with player decisions impacting the narrative and strategy map. Dispatch is also available on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5.
Dispatch coming to Xbox Series this summer
AdHoc Studio announced that its superhero workplace comedy adventure game, Dispatch, will be released for Xbox Series and PC this summer. The game, which features narrative choices and strategic hero deployment, previously launched on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC in late 2025 and early 2026.
Dispatch Coming to Xbox Play Anywhere: Find Out More About This Unique, Beloved Adventure
The superhero workplace comedy game Dispatch is launching on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming this Summer as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. Players step into the role of a dispatcher managing unpredictable heroes, with narrative choices directly influencing gameplay and vice versa. Developed by AdHoc Studio, featuring characters created by former Telltale Games staff, the game aims to blend storytelling and management simulation seamlessly.
Xbox Partner Preview March 2026: All The Big Announcements
The Xbox Partner Preview showcase revealed new titles and updates from third-party developers. Announcements included Hunter: The Reckoning - Deathwish, Wuthering Waves, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, Grave Seasons, Serious Sam: Shatterverse, Stranger Than Heaven, Super Meat Boy 3D, Forever Ago, Ascend to Zero, and Dispatch. Many of these titles will be available on Xbox Game Pass and as Xbox Play Anywhere titles.
Clair Obscur and Dispatch lead BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Dispatch lead the BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations with 12 and nine nods respectively. A total of 42 titles received nominations across various categories, with Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Arc Raiders also securing multiple nominations. The awards ceremony is scheduled for April 17, 2026, in London.
The BAFTA Games Awards 2026 nominees have been announced: here are the front-runners for the most awards, including Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, the game we called 'staggeringly beautiful' and 'wonderfully stylish'
The nominations for the 22nd BAFTA Games Awards 2026 have been announced, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading with 12 nominations. Dispatch, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach also received multiple nominations. The awards ceremony will take place on April 17, 2026.
BAFTA Game Awards 2026 nominations revealed, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads in nine categories
The nominations for the 2026 BAFTA Game Awards have been revealed, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading with 12 nominations, including Best Game. Other notable nominees for Best Game include Dispatch and Ghost of Yōtei. The awards ceremony will take place on April 17, 2026, in London.
Expedition 33 Wins Yet Another GOTY--See All The Winners From The 2026 Game Dev Awards
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the big winner at the 2026 Game Developers Choice Awards, taking home Game of the Year, Best Visual Art, Best Narrative, Best Audio, and Best Debut. Blue Prince also received multiple awards, including Best Design and Innovation. Don Daglow was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Rebecca Ann Heineman received the Ambassador Award posthumously.
Dispatch's character and concept artist was picked up on ArtStation 'as a last resort', a temporary solution 'to get us through the pitch phase', before defining the entire game's artstyle
The main character and concept artist for the game Dispatch, Lap Pun Cheung, was initially hired by developer AdHoc Studio as a temporary solution for the pitching phase. Cheung's work ultimately defined the entire art style of the visually appealing Telltale-like game.
Bafta Games 2026 nominees announced and it’s another Clair Obscur sweep
The nominations for the Bafta Games Awards 2026 have been announced, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading the pack with 12 nominations, matching its record at The Game Awards. Dispatch and Arc Raiders also received multiple nominations, including for Best Game. The awards ceremony is scheduled for April 17.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Dispatch Lead BAFTA Game Awards 2026 Nominations - IGN
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the BAFTA Games Awards 2026 nominations with 12 nods, including Best Game and Debut Game. Dispatch follows with nine nominations, while Ghost of Yōtei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach also received multiple nominations. The awards ceremony will take place on April 17.
The Dispatch leads had "a mix of arrogance and stupidity" as they faced down publishers telling them single-player narrative games were "niche, or worse, dead"
AdHoc Studio, founded by former Telltale Games developers, discusses the challenges of convincing publishers to invest in single-player narrative games, which were often deemed 'dead'. Their title, Dispatch, has achieved over 2 million sales, proving the continued viability and financial success of this genre.
Dispatch doesn't let you derail conversations with blank, vacant stares because 'less than 1%' of players ever chose to stay silent in Telltale games
AdHoc Studio decided against including a silent dialogue option in their game Dispatch, as less than 1% of players utilized this feature in previous Telltale Games titles. Developers Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart explained that implementing and supporting this feature for every dialogue choice would have been too resource-intensive for a new studio, despite its potential appeal for roleplaying.
Dispatch is lying to you about RNG for your own good, just like XCOM: "Those guys are pretty smart, so we thought…
Dispatch developer AdHoc Studio has admitted to intentionally manipulating the game's random number generation (RNG) to benefit players, a practice also employed by XCOM developer Firaxis. This approach aims to ensure a more favorable experience and prevent players from feeling unfairly penalized by bad luck.
'We are definitely not doing QTEs', said Dispatch's creative director before doing QTEs: 'We just…
AdHoc Studio's Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart discuss the development of their game Dispatch, particularly its approach to Quick Time Events (QTEs). Despite initial reservations, the team found ways to make QTEs engaging by setting a low bar for quality and making them optional, drawing inspiration from games like This is the Police.
Just like XCOM, superhero comedy Dispatch cheats random percentages of success in the player's favor: 'anything that had over a 76% success chance would automatically succeed'
The game Dispatch, developed by AdHoc Studios, employs a mechanic similar to XCOM where random success percentages are subtly manipulated in the player's favor. This approach aims to mitigate the frustration of perceived unfairness from true randomness, though the developers noted that in the finale, these 'invisible helpers' are disabled to increase difficulty.
Why did Dispatch's devs push through to make it despite initial disinterest from investors? "Arrogance and stupidity"
AdHoc Studio's creative directors Nick Hermand and Dennis Lenart discussed the challenges of funding their narrative-heavy singleplayer game, Dispatch. Despite investor disinterest in the genre, the studio proceeded with development, driven by their belief in the project and their experience from Telltale Games.
This is how RNG works as an 'equalizer' in Dispatch
AdHoc Studio's game Dispatch uses Random Number Generation (RNG) as an 'equalizer' to provide players with a chance of success even with suboptimal choices. Creative directors Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart explained at GDC Festival of Gaming how they implemented invisible boosts and adjusted percentages to ensure a fair and engaging experience, particularly in its story-driven format.
Making Dispatch was motivated by 'a mix of arrogance and stupidity,' its creative directors say
Creative directors Nick Hermand and Dennis Lenart of AdHoc Studio discussed the development of their successful narrative superhero game, Dispatch. They admitted that the project was driven by a mix of 'arrogance and stupidity' as the industry was skeptical of single-player games in the ascendant live service era. Despite industry doubts, Dispatch achieved over 3 million sales by the end of 2025 and maintains a 97% positive rating on Steam.
