“Dispatch” explores a new type of superhero story. Robert Robertson, the role the player takes on, has lost everything after his mech suit is destroyed. Unable to continue his family’s legacy as a superhero, Robert is recruited to become a dispatcher. Tasked with the rejects, misfits, and ex-criminals turned “heroes” Robert tries to lead them and find a way to return to his path as a superhero.

“Dispatch” is the debut game from AdHoc Studios. Founded in 2018 the studio was created by industry veterans from Telltale Games, Ubisoft, and Nights School Studio. “Dispatch” features an impressive cast including Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Matt Mercer, Erin Yvette, Alanah Pearce, Thot Squad, and Mayanna Berrin. This is also the video game debut of Aaron Paul who voices Robert Robertson.

In an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek Laura Bailey and Erin Yvette explain why they were excited to reunite with the AdHoc Studios team. The duo also shared how they approach finding the voices for original characters versus established characters. Yvette also broke down the importance of heroes that believe in redemption.

Laura Bailey & Erin Yvette On Finding The Voices For Their Roles

Temple of Geek: What was it about Invisigal and Blond Blazer that really stood out to you guys as characters, given you’ve played such a variety of characters over your careers?

Laura Bailey:

I mean, for me, the thing that stood out immediately was the writing. Just having worked with Nick [Herman] and Pierre [Shorette] in the past on our previous Telltale experiences. I worked with them on “Tales from the Borderlands,” and I remember working on that and being just blown away with the writing on that. That they approached me for this one, I was over the moon. Just the fact that they formed their own studio now and it was in such good hands, I was stoked.

Erin Yvette:

The tone of the game kind of lives in this really rare world of comedy in games and yet still has a lot of heart, which you just jump at the chance to do that. But yeah, I agree. It had a lot to do with the team behind it and knowing that we would be in good hands.

Temple of Geek: How does your approach to finding the voice for an original character differ from your approach to finding the voice for a character within an established IP?

Laura Bailey:

I think there’s a little bit more freedom there. When you’re creating a character voice that is for somebody that has existed for decades and already has a huge fan base, you have to go in knowing all of the things that have come before you. And either try to replicate that or make it your own depending on what the project is. But with something like this, where you’re building from the ground up, you have just a lot more freedom, honestly.

Erin Yvette:

Yeah, existing characters carry a lot of expectations, and it’s up to you if you want to try and meet them, which is really hard, or subvert them, which can come with controversy. Both [are] valid options, but choices matter. But yeah, when it’s an original character, yeah, it’s just– especially when you have a relationship with the creative team like we do where we can really kind of take the time to explore and play and kind of find their nuances and their limits. It’s really a lot of fun.

Dispatch Took Inspiration From The Office, Veep, & Barry

Temple of Geek: Erin, you mentioned liking the comedy aspect of this. How did you find that balance of the superhero aspect, but the comedy and workplace comedy is really the heart and through line of the story?

Erin Yvette:

Yeah, I mean, it really does live in a more grounded reality than I think a lot of people, when they hear “superhero,” expect it to. It is like an office workplace comedy, first and foremost, with the dressing of a superhero world. I know that when I was first starting out on the project, they mentioned a couple touchstones that I ended up watching just for tonal references, things like the TV show “Barry,” the movie “Office Space,” and the TV show “The Office,” and then also “Veep.”

So just these shows that kind of toe the line of like, everyone’s an idiot, and you’re just constantly nonstop laughing. There’s improvisation, and it’s just like a really fun, wild time balanced with these moments of like grit and heart and sorrow to make something really beautifully unique.

Temple of Geek: I loved it. I was shocked at how quickly I got used to seeing superheroes just walking around in office space in full costume. It was the funniest part to me because it’s so quickly, it’s like, that’s normal. What like, why would this be weird?

Erin Yvette:

I know, I always, whenever I look at Blonde Blazer, I’m just like, what if you get the wedgie? It’s just tights and a leotard. You’ve just got to hope. She knows it. Yeah. Very vulnerable.

Temple of Geek: One of the things I found very cool about Invisigal is we don’t really know why she joined the Z-Team. It’s more of a mystery than maybe some of the other characters, and I really liked her dynamic with Robert. Can you talk to me a little bit about her first impressions of him, and then also just kind of how she fits into this weird world?

Laura Bailey:

Yeah, I mean, without revealing too much, I think her first impression of Robert is just like, who is this slapd*ck coming to tell me what to do right now? How dare you? You don’t have any right. And I think as you play the game more and you peel back some of those layers, you start to see the heart that’s behind all of it and her desire to be better.

What Dispatch Brings To The Superhero Media Landscape

Temple of Geek: One of my favorite things about the superhero genre as a whole is that we’ve got no place now where we can look at it through these different lenses. So it’s not just like the DC and Marvel of it. You have things like “The Boys,” “Invincible,” and “Dispatch.” What do you think “Dispatch” brings to the table in the superhero conversation that’s different from other properties we’ve seen?

Laura Bailey:

I feel like you really see it at the ground level. And I know all of the other projects do that as well, but I think there’s so much heart behind each of the characters. You said it was like a room full of idiots before, but they really are lovable idiots. You want to help them. You want to get to know them. You want to find out what makes them tick. And I think in some of the genres, characters can still be kind of one-dimensional with their presentations, and nobody in this game is like that. Everybody has so much depth.

Erin Yvette: 

I think the idea, archetypes are such a thing in the superhero genre. And to imagine people, particularly super villains, trying to change their archetype, and it’s not easy. It’s not just a “Well, I saved the bus of children, so now I’m a hero,” but the hard work that goes into it and also kind of this behind the curtain. This is maybe a ridiculous comp to make, but “Wreck-It Ralph” kind of sheds light on, like, “What are the villains doing when they’re not pacing around the dungeon?”

And it’s this idea of just like, “How did that superhero know to go there? When there’s not a bat signal involved, you know, it’s just like, “How do they know? How are they everywhere all at once?” And the idea of, like, “Oh, actually that’s some sad-sack job who’s sitting at a desk, just waiting to see a little blip and send someone out.” Just the mundane aspects of what superhero life could be, I think, is a really funny perspective.

Erin Yvette On The Importance Of A Hero That Believes In Redemption

Temple of Geek: One of the things I thought was very cool about Blonde Blazer is she really believes in redemption in a way that I don’t think we necessarily see with some other heroes. She’s in that category where she wants to help Robert. She believes in this Project Phoenix. Why do you think this is such an important time to see that sort of character and that sort of hero?

Erin Yvette:

I think the general idea of hope and optimism is not necessarily easy to come by right now. I think there’s a general sense of powerlessness that lots of us feel right now, and I think that’s a through line for a lot of the characters in the game. Wanting to change their situation, wanting to be better, and feeling powerless to do so.

And I think Blazer might have a little bit of a savior complex going on, but I also think she has felt the weight of the celebrity of her status as a superhero and is looking for a sense of fulfillment. And I think she really identifies with the idea of wanting to change your situation, that if you’re not born with superpowers, you can still do something super.

Or if you lose your superpowers, if you lose your mech, you can still be useful to society. That just the desire to do good is good enough, even if you keep messing it up over and over again. It’s still worthwhile.

Temple of Geek: Was there maybe a moment or an emotion that you tapped into where you kind of really locked in and went, “Okay, I totally understand who my character is. I totally know who they are and who their voice is because of this emotion or this moment that I really locked in on.”

Laura Bailey:

Man, I don’t know, spoilers, where it hits.

Erin Yvette:

Laura kills it with Invisigal, such a beautiful arc to have, and you play it so wonderfully.

Laura Bailey:

I’m trying to remember. I think when we first started recording, I feel like they had me jump ahead. To some of the scenes, I did her introduction scene, and then I might have jumped ahead so that we could see where her actual heart of her character is, and then backtracked a little bit. So yeah, you get glimpses of what’s actually going on behind the mask of villainess or toughness or I-don’t-give-a-sh*t-ness and see that she has this desire to do good. And it just doesn’t come as easily as it does for somebody who is just good at everything, right?

Erin Yvette:

Yeah, I think the first thing I recorded actually was a vertical slice that AdHoc used to kind of pitch the game around. This was before I was even cast in the game, but I did voice Blazer for the billboard scene between Robert and Blazer. 

And within the context of the first episode, you know that they are drunk at that time, but for the vertical slice, we played it a little bit more straight. And so that really was the moment that clicked that this was like a really beautifully nuanced person. 

And for an NPC, it’s really lovely to see, but it just hit all the marks of, she was able to joke around, she was able to josh with him, and then in the next moment be really sincere and heartfelt and genuine, and then powerful and fly away. It was just this beautiful combination of things that I knew would be very fun to play.

The first two episodes of “Dispatch” debut on October 22. “Dispatch” can be added to your wishlist now.