| Dispatch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
| Release Date | |
|---|---|
| Episodes 1-2: October 22, 2025 Episodes 3-4: October 29, 2025 Episodes 5-6: November 5, 2025 Episodes 7-8: November 12, 2025 PC, PS5 January 28, 2026 NSW, NSW2 More Details |
|
| Genre | |
| Adventure, Simulation | |
| Platforms | Price (MSRP) |
    |
$29.99 |
| Developer | Publisher |
| AdHoc Studio | AdHoc Studio |
| Number of Players | Age Rating |
| 1 | ESRB M |
| Time to Finish | Cross Platform Play |
| 10 Hours | No |
| Official Website | Official Website for Dispatch |
Dispatch Latest News
⚫︎ Dispatch earned six nominations for the 29th Annual DICE Awards, including a spot in the Game of the Year category. This title also contends for honors in art direction, character performance, and independent game achievement.
⚫︎ Dispatch surpassed three million sales in 2025. The developers commemorated this milestone by posting infographic data of player choices that reveals only five percent of the community finished the story without a romantic partner.
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio is now in serious talks with the possibilty of a second season for Dispatch. The developers have previously thought of a potential sequel, but its overwhelming success have pushed them to engage in deeper discussions about the game's future.
⚫︎ Dispatch arrives on Nintendo Switch and its successor on January 28, 2026. This port includes a free upgrade to the newer console alongside performance boosts like enhanced resolution and a smoother frame rate.
⚫︎ Developers at AdHoc Studio say Dispatch succeeded by focusing on straightforward storytelling without microtransactions. Co-director Dennis Lenart noted player demand for simpler, linear narrative games, citing frustrations with frequent updates and paid add-ons.
Dispatch Overview
Dispatch is an episodic adventure game developed and published by AdHoc Studio and released in 2025. It is the studio’s debut title after a team of developers, many of whom previously worked at Telltale Games, reassembled to build a narrative experience in a modern episodic format. The game launched on Steam and PlayStation 5, with two episodes rolling out each week across October 22, 2025 and November 12, 2025. Versions for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 are scheduled for release on January 28, 2026.
The game upends standard superhero tropes by putting players behind a desk as Robert Robertson (aka Mecha Man), who, after getting his mech suit destroyed, must manage a ragtag roster of reformed villains-turned-heroes and decide which one to send to incidents across the city. It's a workplace comedy with plenty of personal drama. Here, players manage relationships in the break room while also deciding who to send into the field, and those choices feed back into character arcs and the larger story.
In the same vein as Telltale Games of the previous decade, Dispatch has choice-based dialogue and branching narrative, but the game sprinkles in some light strategy and roster management.
Outside of conversation trees, players dispatch heroes from their desk to solve various incidents in the city. Moreover, the game features a star-studded cast of actors and actresses from various entertainment sectors, namely: Aaron Paul, Laura Bailey, Erin Yvette, Matthew Mercer, MoistCr1TiKaL, Jacksepticeye, and more.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PS |
||||||
| Switch |
Switch 2 |
||||||
| $29.99 | |||||||
Dispatch Post-Episode Discussions
⚫︎ Dispatch: 9 Things You Need to Know (Episode Release Date, Romance, MoistCritikal & More) (Game8)
⚫︎ Dispatch Episode 3: Who to Cut? (Game8)
⚫︎ Dispatch Episode 4: Who to Romance? (Game8)
⚫︎ Dispatch Episode 5: Should You Reveal Your Identity? (Game8)
⚫︎ Dispatch Episode 6: What Happens to Chase? (Game8)
⚫︎ Dispatch Episode 7: Should You Cut or Defend? (Game8)
⚫︎ Dispatch Episode 8: Should You Spare or Kill? (Game8)
Dispatch Gameplay
Dispatch follows the Telltale Games format, with dialogue choices and quick-time events influencing the outcome of its story beats and shaping character relationships. Dialogue choices are displayed on a timer, and a different scene will play out depending on which one is chosen. Should players let the timer run out, a random choice will be made instead. The choices made lead to different story scenes and paths that carry across the subsequent episodes.
However, beyond this, players can dispatch heroes to missions. Players monitor a map of the city that shows various incidents requiring their attention. Each incident comes with a description and potential risks, so the player must choose which hero or heroes fit the job.
Each hero has unique stats, which need to be matched with the tasks displayed on a window to the right when selecting a mission on the map. Players will need to make these decisions logically, as it isn’t explicitly stated which stats are suited for which tasks.
The heroes players manage are flawed, each with their own quirks and weaknesses. After a Z-Team member levels up, their stats can be upgraded via the hero database at the top right of the map. Certain missions will call for two or more heroes, letting players deploy them based on their synergies with their teammates to improve their performance.
Dialogue choices, branching interactions, and the consequences of selecting heroes or responding in specific ways all matter in how a shift goes. Occasionally, heroes will also consult with Robert regarding which decisions to make during a mission, which will prompt the selection of one of several choices that will impact its outcome.
Dispatch Characters
Robert Robertson
Robert Robertson, known as Mecha Man, is a superhero who relies on a powerful mech suit, a legacy passed down through his family for generations. However, after the suit was destroyed in a fight, he lost his primary means of heroism. Months later, he was recruited by Blonde Blazer to work as a dispatcher for the Superhero Dispatch Network. Here, he manages Z-Team, a group of former villains, while also working behind the scenes to get his old life back.
Blonde Blazer
Blonde Blazer is the branch leader of Superhero Dispatch Network in Torrance, Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the villain-rehabilitating Phoenix Program. She personally recruits Robert Robertson to SDN because of Chase’s recommendation, but it’s clear that she sees something more in their kinship. She is respected by both heroes and villains for her strength and altruistic outlook.
Invisigal
Invisigal, formerly a villain named Invisibitch, has the power to turn invisible. As an SDN hero in the Z-Team, she’s got a lot of rough edges and baggage that she and Robert will have to work through together. Being a villain her entire life, she’s snarky, rude, and rebellious, but it’s obvious that there’s more to her underneath her spiky exterior.
Flambae
Flambae is a pyrokinetic villain-turned-hero who was defeated by his nemesis, Mecha Man, before getting arrested and then participating in the Phoenix Program. Now a hero-in-progress in the SDN, he is placed in the Z-Team with other former villains, where he is dispatched on missions with them. Unbeknownst to him, he would eventually be placed under the management of Robert, who is secretly his former rival, Mecha Man.
Phenomaman
Phenomaman is an extraterrestrial working as an elite superhero for SDN’s Downtown Los Angeles branch. He has yet to grow accustomed to human traditions and social cues, so his interactions with Robert and the other characters can lead to quite awkward situations.
Z-Team
The Superhero Dispatch Network has many specialized units, but none are quite as unconventional as Z-Team. This squad is composed entirely of former villains seeking redemption through the Phoenix Project. The lineup includes Malevola, Sonar, Flambae, Prism, Golem, Coupé, Punch Up, and Invisigal. Z-Team, according to Blonde Blazer, has often been difficult to manage, as evidenced by their dispatcher almost always resigning just days after they're hired. This may change, though, under the guidance of Robert Robertson.
Dispatch Announcement Trailer
Dispatch | Episodes 7 & 8 Preview
Dispatch | Episodes 5 & 6 Preview
Dispatch | Episodes 3 & 4 Preview
Dispatch | Official Launch Trailer
DISPATCH | Official Reveal Trailer - Extended Cut
Dispatch Trivia
⚫︎ Dispatch was originally going to be an experimental interactive live-action TV series, according to creative director Dennis Lenart. A season’s worth of content was already written before the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic forced them to shelf the project. The developers would revisit this concept and turn it into the Telltale-esque Superhero management game that it would become today.
⚫︎ The phone number displayed in Phenomaman’s SDN commercial can be called in real life. Calling it will lead to prerecorded lines from Blonde Blazer, who will promote the game as well as tell you to press a number to listen to different lines from Dispatch. This phone number is part of an Alternate Reality Game (ARG), which indirectly gave fun details about the SDN Torrance branch as well as characters like Blonde Blazer and Royd.
Dispatch Similar Games
 |
Urban Myth Dissolution Center Visual Novel, Simulation |
 |
Hollywood Animal Simulation, Strategy |
 |
Schedule I Action, Indie, Simulation, Strategy |
 |
DELTARUNE RPG, Indie |
NEWS
| Dispatch | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Dispatch is a comedic, strategy, narrative-focused game where you're the manager of a team of dysfunctional heroes. Read on to learn about the game's latest news and developments!
← Return to Dispatch main article
Dispatch News
2026
January 8
⚫︎ Dispatch earned six nominations for the 29th Annual DICE Awards, including a spot in the Game of the Year category. This title also contends for honors in art direction, character performance, and independent game achievement.
January 2
⚫︎ Dispatch surpassed three million sales in 2025. The developers commemorated this milestone by posting infographic data of player choices that reveals only five percent of the community finished the story without a romantic partner.
2025
December 18
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio is now in serious talks with the possibilty of a second season for Dispatch. The developers have previously thought of a potential sequel, but its overwhelming success have pushed them to engage in deeper discussions about the game's future.
Serious
Consideration After Season 1 Success (Game8)
December 17
⚫︎ Dispatch arrives on Nintendo Switch and its successor on January 28, 2026. This port includes a free upgrade to the newer console alongside performance boosts like enhanced resolution and a smoother frame rate.
December 1
⚫︎ AdHoc Studios says its game Dispatch maker called the episodic business model “an insane thing to do,” warning developers to think carefully before using it. CEO Michael Choung told Knowledge that releasing the whole game at once would’ve been conventional wisdom, but the studio pursued episodes despite widespread pushback. He stressed that creative strength, not format, is the real backbone of success.
an insane thing to do
(Games Industry.biz)
November 25
⚫︎ Developers at AdHoc Studio say Dispatch succeeded by focusing on straightforward storytelling without microtransactions. Co-director Dennis Lenart noted player demand for simpler, linear narrative games, citing frustrations with frequent updates and paid add-ons. AdHoc Studio cautioned the industry against misreading the game’s success.
November 23
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio has rolled out an update for Dispatch that resolves one of the game’s most persistent annoyances: players can now finally earn the Platinum Trophy.
November 11
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio has acknowledged fan demand for more Dispatch, with a senior developer confirming the team is “thinking” about a second season. However, they clarified that no official plans or commitments have been made yet.
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio previewed the upcoming season finale for Dispatch. Fans are excited to witness the conclusion to the epci super hero comedy saga, and is much more exhilirated that the developers labeled it explicitly as a season finale,
possibly indicating that another season could come in the future.
November 10
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio is considering making a Season 2 due to Dispatch's success. The studio is also working on bringing the game into other platforms beyond PlayStation 5 and PC.
November 4
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio is back with a fresh teaser for Dispatch, confirming Episodes 5 and 6 will launch November 5 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. The final two episodes arrive the following week on November 12. In the preview, the Z Team edges closer to uncovering Robert Robertson’s superhero secret — and Mecha Man’s suit repairs look set to shake up SDN soon.
Octover 14
⚫︎ Actor Aaron Paul has opened up about his first-ever video game performance in Dispatch, the upcoming interactive superhero workplace comedy from Adhoc Studios. Known for his roles in Breaking Bad and BoJack Horseman, Paul takes on the role of Robert Robertson, a retired hero-turned-dispatcher struggling to find purpose after losing his powers.
September 24
⚫︎ As announced on the devs' official X page, Critical Role's Matthew Mercer will be part of Dispatch's cast, playing the character Shroud. It remains to be seen what role his character will play in AdHoc Studios' telltale-style hero dispatch game.
September 17
⚫︎ AdHoc Studios announced that Dispatch will release on October 22, 2025 on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. The latest trailer of the game showcased some narrative and gameplay that players will experience on this new episodic title.
August 27
⚫︎ Dispatch takes the spotlight in the latest issue of Game Informer with a 10-page spread, showcasing new screenshots, fresh artwork, and an interview with Creative Directors Nick and Dennis alongside Art Director Derek.
July 28
⚫︎ Critical Role has announced a partnership with L.A.-based AdHoc Studio to develop its first official video game set in the world of Exandria. While still early in development, the project marks a major step for the D&D-inspired franchise.
The collaboration also includes work on Dispatch, a separate game with plans for future brand expansion through an animated series, merchandise, and tabletop content.
July 2
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio has announced that Dispatch will be playable at Gamescom 2025, taking place from August 20–24. In a post shared on Twitter/X, the studio confirmed the game will be featured at the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2.
The message invites players to step into the role of Dispatchers tasked with guiding a team of ex-villains on their path to redemption.
May 29
⚫︎ AdHoc Studio has announced that a demo for Dispatch, the superhero workplace comedy game, is now available for PC via Steam.
2024
December 11
⚫︎ Dispatch made its debut with a teaser trailer at TGA 2024. Developed by the team behind Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us, the game is a superhero workplace comedy where player choices shape the narrative. Blending choose-your-own-adventure storytelling with management gameplay, Dispatch puts players in charge of a chaotic team of misfit heroes.
