When 'Don't Do It!' Becomes 'How the Blazes Did They Do That?!': Dispatch's Epic Episode Gamble
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
AdHoc studio defied industry advice by releasing their debut game *Dispatch* in weekly episodic installments, a move widely considered "insane," yet their focus on creative vision and player experience led to immense success, selling over a million copies in 10 days and doubling concurrent users weekly. While CEO Michael Choung warns against replicating the strategy without a strong creative backbone, *Dispatch*'s journey highlights the unexpected triumphs that can emerge when studios prioritise bold player experiences over conventional wisdom.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're mucking about with a new spell, and everyone – and I mean *everyone* – is telling you it's going to backfire spectacularly? You're assured it's "insane," a recipe for a digital meltdown, pure chaos. But then, you go and do it anyway, and bloomin' hell, it doesn't just work, it absolutely *smashes* it. That, my mates, is pretty much the saga of AdHoc, their debut game *Dispatch*, and a release strategy that flew straight in the face of conventional wisdom. And honestly, I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and it’s wilder than it first appeared.
AdHoc, a studio that's been cooking for seven years – dedicating three of those to *Dispatch*'s full production – launched their superhero workplace comedy back in October. Now, for your first proper game, you’d typically want everything to be as safe as houses, wouldn't you? A nice, traditional single-release, get it out there, see what happens. But AdHoc, led by CEO Michael Choung, decided to take a left turn at sensible junction and dropped *Dispatch* in weekly, episodic installments. And guess what? Everyone, from internal teams to industry gurus, was shouting "Don't do it!" louder than a wizard who’s misplaced their wand.
Choung admitted it himself in an interview, that releasing it all at once would have been "the conventional wisdom." He wasn't kidding, mate. The industry’s seen episodic fumbles before. It can be a hard sell, a tough rhythm to maintain, and often leads to player fatigue if the gaps are too long or the quality dips. It’s like trying to keep a flock of pixies in line – nigh on impossible. So, yeah, the advice was clear: *don't do it*.
But here's where the Jeff-sense tingles, where the truly curious bits emerge. Why did they ignore all the sensible advice? Choung reckons it wasn’t about making life easy, bless 'em. "We weren't really thinking about feasibility," he said. "We were just thinking in terms of creative and player experience." Now *that's* a sentence that should be framed above every indie dev's monitor. Prioritising the creative vision, the player's journey, over the dreaded "feasibility spreadsheet." Fair dinkum, that takes some serious guts.
And what a vision it was. Choung describes *Dispatch* as "basically three feature-length premium animated films and a videogame, all meshing and rubbing up against each other." Talk about ambitious! This wasn't just slicing a big game into smaller chunks; it was intrinsically designed for that format. The story, he notes, was "always structured that way." This isn't some corporate workaround to stretch development; it's a core creative choice. It’s like designing a spell specifically to unfold in stages, each reveal building to the next, rather than trying to perform a full summoning ritual in bite-sized pieces.
So, they forged ahead, releasing two episodes a week. And the results? Well, they were nothing short of magical, in the "unexpectedly awesome explosion" kind of way. Choung noted they drew inspiration from TV series, recognising the "the train is leaving the station, but not just yet - I can still make it" feeling that episodic content can generate. That FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out, for the uninitiated) is a powerful, dark art, isn't it?
And it worked. "When we look at concurrent user numbers across the drops, it's exactly that - it just kept doubling every week," Choung revealed. Doubling! Think about that for a second. Conventional wisdom dictates a massive drop-off after the first week, right? Like a spell that fizzles after the initial burst. *Dispatch* flipped that script entirely. It’s the kind of statistical anomaly that makes clever observers like us sit up and say, "Now *that's* interesting." The studio anticipated some of it, but not "the scale of it." Over 1 million copies sold in just 10 days! That's not just a success; that's a blinking, neon sign for "innovation paid off."
Now, before you go thinking every studio should immediately pivot to weekly drops and defy all reason, Choung, with a healthy dose of reality, offered a critical caveat. "It's insane to do," he warned. "From every metric, from a production perspective, no one should do this." He's not pulling punches, is he? He stressed that if you're thinking episodic alone is your silver bullet for success, "then good luck!"
This is where my gentle skepticism kicks in, mate. While *Dispatch*'s story is genuinely inspiring, it underscores a crucial point: success isn't just about the format, it's about the *content*. As Choung wisely put it, "If the creative is strong, you can cut it up however you like, and it probably is going to make it through, even if it's a poor decision." Conversely, "If you go episodic with a not-so-great story, you're flirting with people that aren't attracted to you whatsoever." It's like trying to charm a dragon with a really dull shiny object – it just won’t work. The *Dispatch* team didn't just have a bold release plan; they had a compelling narrative that actually benefited from being unfurled slowly, giving players time to digest, discuss, and build anticipation.
What does this mean for the wider gaming world? Well, it's a bloody brilliant case study for indie developers who might feel trapped by traditional release models. It shows that prioritising player experience and creative integrity, even when it looks "insane" on paper, can yield incredible results. It's not a blueprint for everyone, no, but it’s a powerful reminder that sometimes, the best path forward is the one least travelled, especially when your creative compass is pointing firmly in that direction.
On a side note, it's worth mentioning AdHoc's refreshingly grounded stance on AI. Creative director Nick Herman weighed in, saying "AI feels like a production solution, not a creative one," and cheekily added, "Maybe it's a creative one if you aren't creative." Coming from a studio that just pulled off such a creative gamble, it adds another layer to their admirable, player-first ethos. They're clearly thinking about the human story behind the development, not just efficiency.
So, there you have it. *Dispatch* is a prime example of how taking a calculated, creatively driven risk, even against stern advice, can lead to monumental success. It reminds us that "conventional wisdom" isn't always right, and sometimes, letting your inner digital wizard run a bit wild with an unconventional approach is precisely what’s needed to conjure up something truly special. It’s a brave new world out there, full of possibilities, and AdHoc just showed us one of the more spectacular ones. Here’s hoping other devs take note – not necessarily to copy the format, but to embrace that fearless creative spirit.
Tags: Gaming Innovation, Indie Games, Release Strategy, Game Development, Player Experience
Original article: Eurogamer