AdHoc Studios is "days away" from deciding whether to greenlight a second season of breakout hit Dispatch, studio co-founders told Eurogamer. The superhero workplace comedy sold 1 million copies in its first 10 days and has since reached 2 million sales, creating intense fan demand for more content.
"We're days away from really sitting down and laying those plans out," said game director Nick Herman. "People are mad that we haven't told them what we're doing." The studio faces what lead writer Pierre Shorette calls the "difficult second album" problem, comparing it to musicians who have their whole lives to write a debut album but only months for the follow-up.
Dispatch Season 1 required nearly seven years of development, a timeline Shorette described as "GTA 6 amounts of time." The extended period wasn't about polish but survival, with the team losing a publisher halfway through development during industry-wide turmoil. "We had a publisher who dropped us halfway through because of financial things," Herman confirmed.
The game's success surprised even its creators, who faced years of rejection before launch. "You have basically everyone tell you it's a bad idea for seven fucking years," Shorette said. Dispatch originally began as an interactive live-action television series for what the Eurogamer article suggests was likely Eko, a company related to Walmart, before pivoting to its current episodic game format during the pandemic.
AdHoc's independence now presents both opportunity and pressure. "We have full ownership," Herman noted. "We weren't forced to do anything we didn't want to do." That control comes with heightened expectations for any potential sequel, where fans will scrutinize what Season 2 isn't as much as what it is.
The studio also has a Critical Role game in development, though progress has been limited by Dispatch's release demands. "It's been bubbling, simmering I would call it," Shorette said. "It's not full boil or anything." The team must balance this existing commitment against fan demand for more Dispatch content.
If Season 2 moves forward, development would need to accelerate significantly to meet market expectations. The groundwork established during Season 1's extended development could enable faster production, but the team acknowledges the creative challenge of following a surprise hit. "There were zero expectations for Season 1," Herman said. "Season 2, if we do it, we know that's going to be an extra challenge."
The decision comes as Dispatch continues appearing on year-end best-of lists despite missing most major awards season recognition. The game's blend of superhero management and workplace comedy has resonated particularly with players seeking positive male role models and optimistic narratives in gaming.
AdHoc's founders say they are "days away" from making a decision about Season 2, though no specific announcement timeline has been provided. The team's experience with industry rejection and near-collapse now positions them to make strategic decisions from a position of unexpected success rather than desperation.
