We’ve seen the comments – Dispatch is coming to Xbox! As we announced during the latest Xbox Partner Preview broadcast, the critically acclaimed superhero workplace comedy game is on its way this Summer to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC (including supported gaming handhelds) and Xbox Cloud. Plus, it will be an Xbox Play Anywhere title!
If you haven’t had a chance to look into Dispatch yet, let us introduce you to our game, and how it turns the narrative adventures you know into something truly unique.
Story That Shapes Gameplay
In the game, you’ll step into the shoes of Robert Robertson, AKA Mecha Man, whose mech-suit is destroyed in a battle against his nemesis, forcing him to take a job at a superhero dispatch center: not as a hero, but as a dispatcher.
Dispatch seamlessly blends narrative and strategic game systems that constantly influence one another. Players move between story-driven choice gameplay and management sim-like dispatch segments where they oversee a roster of unpredictable heroes, all of whom are a part of Robert’s wider story. The rhythm is intentional, character-focused storytelling on one side, and hands-on decision-making on the other.
“One of our longstanding problems with some of the narrative-based games we’d worked on in the past was that we’d have these great interactive cinematic story scenes where we were advancing the character relationships and the story, followed by gameplay that often felt tacked on, slowed down the pacing, and was less-focused on the characters. Solving that disconnect was one of our main goals at AdHoc, and Dispatch was the first example of it working.
Within the framework of narrative story segments and gameplay-focused shifts, we were able to strike a balance where the gameplay never ran long enough to stop the momentum of the story.”
– Dennis Lenart, Co-Creative Director
During dispatch segments, you’ll use the strategy map to monitor emergencies unfolding across the city and send heroes to respond. Choosing who to deploy isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes the right hero isn’t available. Sometimes the wrong hero is all you have.
Your choices during story segments will shape your options during dispatch gameplay, and how you perform during those missions feeds directly back into the narrative.Send your favorite hero to a minor incident, and you may leave the city exposed to a much bigger problem. Take a risk on a less-than ideal hero, and the situation may escalate in ways you didn’t anticipate.
This results in an experience where story and gameplay are constantly reinforcing one another, making Dispatch a unique narrative adventure for players.
The Choice is Yours
Meaningful choice has long been a cornerstone of narrative-driven games, and the team at AdHoc Studio knows that better than most. Many members of the studio previously worked at Telltale Games, pioneering the modern interactive storytelling genre with titles like The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us.
With Dispatch, the goal was to build on that legacy while pushing the genre forward. Choices in the game don’t just branch dialogue, they reshape how the story unfolds for Robert and his cast of misfit heroes on the Z-Team.
Through your narrative choices and your performance as dispatcher, you’ll reach different story conclusions that feel genuine and authentic, giving you the sense that you personally crafted an incredible journey for Robert. The team knows that creating a single satisfying ending is difficult, and creating several that feel equally good and personal to the player is even harder.
Some storylines resolve cleanly while others remain complicated. How you reach those endings is up to you as a player.
Bringing the “Super” to Supervisor
At its heart, Dispatch is a character-driven story. The team spent considerable time creating characters that feel real, even when one of those characters happens to be a literal bat monster with an unhealthy relationship to… let’s say substances.
“We built every character as a real, imperfect person first—someone ordinary and recognizable. You should be able to look at any of them and think, ‘I know someone like that.’ Their superpowers are just an extra layer, which is why they feel so relatable.”
– Dennis Lenart, Co-Creative Director
As Robert, you’ll encounter characters who rarely resemble the traditional image of a superhero, and that’s very much the point. The world of Dispatch is built around a team of unconventional heroes whose strengths, flaws, and unpredictable behavior shape the game.
Players who have played the game so far have already connected with Dispatch’s characters in a big way. The team has seen hundreds of fan creations from the community, including artwork, remixes of the game’s music, and cosplay. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that players everywhere relate to our characters, who feel real and alive, even when they’re anything but ordinary.
And that’s a huge reason why our team can’t wait for the players on Xbox to meet our lovable misfits later this year.
And through Xbox Play Anywhere, you can purchase Dispatch once and play it across supported platforms while taking your progress with you. Players can purchase Dispatch on Xbox for $29.99, or upgrade to the Deluxe Edition for $39.99, which includes four digital comics and a 100+ page digital artbook.
Dispatch
AdHoc Studio