AdHoc Studio's Dispatch inbound in 2025

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Superhero-themed narrative management adventure from former Telltale writers unveiled for PC and consoles

Though technically the company still exists, we all lament the collapse of once-mighty Telltale Games, who brought us many memorable experiences, from Sam & Max and Monkey Island adventures to later narrative-driven games like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands. If there's an upside to companies disbanding, however, it's that often new groups spring from the old. One such example stemming from the former Telltale ranks (as well as Ubisoft and Night School Studio) is AdHoc Studio, who have just announced their own upcoming first indie project, the superhero-themed Dispatch. 

The stunning first trailer shows an impressive cinematic flair that befits a colourful superhero comic-like environment, along with an impressive cast headlined by Hollywood talents Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Westworld) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction, Casino Royale), as well as veteran voice-over artists like Laura Bailey, Erin Yvette and Travis Willingham. Set in modern-day Los Angeles, the game stars Robert Robertson, who was once a powerful hero called Mecha Man until his suit of armour was destroyed while fighting his nemesis. Without any natural superpowers (think Iron Man), Robert is now forced to "take a job at a superhero dispatch center: not as a hero, but a dispatcher." It's an ignominious fall from patrolling the city as its saviour to manning a computer back in the office, but it's now the player's job, as Robert, to rehabilitate a collection of ex-supervillains (think Suicide Squad, without the collars). To succeed in wrangling the best from your charges, you'll need to "manage your roster while navigating office relationships and rebuilding your suit for a shot at revenge."

Dispatch's story promises to explore "what it means to be a hero, whether you're wearing a cape or behind a desk." Through a combination of "narrative, strategy, and humor," the game sees players confronted with decisions both big and small to drive the story forward, from "banter in the breakroom to life-or-death situations in the field." As dispatcher, you'll have access to a map that allows you to "review ongoing emergencies and deploy the right (or wrong) heroes to deal with them." You'll also have the ability to alert them of dangers and guide them to the best course of action, and even personally "upgrade their skills and unlock abilities to boost their effectiveness in the field." Your advice isn't to be given lightly, as you must "balance the risks and rewards as you make tactical decisions, knowing that each choice can have lasting consequences for your team and the city." And as any superhero fan knows, managing egos and personalities can be every bit as challenging as keeping them alive. That's especially true here, as each member of your ragtag team of misfits comes with their own "quirks, flaws, and baggage you’ll need to navigate to keep the team together."

There is no target release date for Dispatch just yet, but the game is due to arrive on Steam for Windows PC sometime in 2025, along with console versions for as-yet-unspecified platforms. 

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