Key Takeaways
1. Single-player narrative games are rare in today’s gaming landscape dominated by live services, yet titles like “Dispatch” show there’s still demand for them.
2. AdHoc Studio, formed by ex-Telltale Games members, faced significant challenges in developing and self-publishing “Dispatch” after Telltale’s bankruptcy.
3. The team struggled to secure investment due to industry perceptions that narrative-driven games were niche or no longer viable.
4. After losing their publisher midway, AdHoc Studio partnered with Critical Role to self-publish “Dispatch,” focusing on their strengths in storytelling.
5. “Dispatch” achieved critical and commercial success, selling over three million copies by the end of 2025, validating the studio’s vision and hard work.
Single-player games that focus on storytelling are rare in today’s gaming world, which is dominated by live services. However, there are still remarkable examples like “Dispatch” by AdHoc Studio that show there are narrative adventures ready to be created, found, and enjoyed.
The Journey of AdHoc Studio
The team at AdHoc Studio faced numerous challenges to deliver a game centered on narrative and choices. The studio was started by four ex-Telltale Games members who wanted to keep making the choice-driven stories that fans loved. Sadly, Telltale Games closed its doors in late 2018, leaving behind a minimal team.
With Telltale going bankrupt, very few other studios were willing to invest in their unique style of games. Nevertheless, AdHoc Studio took the initiative to develop and self-publish “Dispatch” in 2025.
Overcoming Obstacles
At the Game Developers Conference, co-creative director Dennis Lenart spoke with Gamesradar+ about the hurdles AdHoc faced to launch “Dispatch.” He mentioned, “It was a hard time for a studio made up of two writers and two directors wanting to create single-player narrative games.”
He added, “Whenever we pitched to potential investors, they would reference the data and claim there weren’t enough recent successes to feel safe investing money. The general idea was that the kind of games we wanted to create was niche or, even worse, dead. But we were convinced they were mistaken.”
Co-creative director Nick Herman also shared his thoughts, stating, “It was a blend of arrogance and foolishness. But we recognized that we were among the most seasoned teams in making these games, so we thought if we didn’t stand up for ourselves, who would?”
A Shift in Strategy
Initially, “Dispatch” had a publisher, but they backed out halfway through development. The studio then sought support from Critical Role to self-publish the game. Through every challenge, AdHoc Studio stayed committed to a few core principles.
Lenart remarked, “We’re going to concentrate on what we excel at. Just because we can create an open-world action RPG doesn’t mean we ought to. Whatever we pursue, we want it to be excellent, and throughout the entire project, we aimed to avoid any compromises.”
He also mentioned, “We weren’t just employees anymore. We couldn’t create a fantastic game that no one buys. Now that we’re managing a studio, we owe it to our team to keep the business running. So we need to develop something that has a broad enough appeal to succeed, both critically and financially.”
Success at Last
Ultimately, AdHoc Studio’s hard work paid off, as “Dispatch” received rave reviews at its release and swiftly became a success, selling over three million copies by the end of 2025.
Source:
Link
