The Game Business Show Dispatch developer: We were told comedy games don’t sell
Mar 31, 2026
Nick Herman, co-founder and creative director at AdHoc Studio and former Telltale lead, talks about making Dispatch. He discusses the game's comedic tone and move from darker drafts to hopeful, TV-friendly vibes. He explains the choice of an episodic weekly release, the struggle to find a publisher and decision to self-publish, and how partnerships and community helped build momentum.
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Prioritise Character Writing Over Plot Tricks
- Focus on character-driven writing over plot complexity to make players invest emotionally.
- Deliver a cast people want to spend time with instead of prioritising twists or gimmicks, because strong character writing translates to broader appeal.
Narrative Games Have An Underserved Broader Audience
- Nick and Michael saw the interactive narrative audience as bigger than peers assumed and treated that misjudgement as an opportunity.
- They deliberately targeted nontraditional gamers who watch TV/film and made Dispatch look like premium animation to lower barriers.
Studio Founded By Writers Faced Funding Bias
- Trong describes founding AdHoc with two writers and two directors and repeatedly being told they lacked the “right” team makeup for games.
- Investors asked for programmers/designers and doubted the studio because founders didn’t have AAA pedigrees, forcing them to push through repeated rejections.