“Dispatch” is the debut game from AdHoc Studios which formed in 2018. AdHoc Studios was founded by industry veterans from Telltale Games, Ubisoft, and Night School Studios. This narrative game is a workplace comedy set in the bombastic world of superheroes. “Dispatch” stars Aaron Paul in his video game debut along with well known voice actors including Travis Willingham, Matt Mercer, Laura Bailey, and Erin Yvette.

“Dispatch” follows Robert Robertson a former superhero who becomes a dispatcher after his mech suit is destroyed. In the hopes of finding a way back to becoming a superhero Robert becomes the dispatcher for a team of rejects, misfits, and criminals turned “superheroes.” The player embodies Robert with every interaction and decision, impacting not only his future, but that of the heroes and world around him.

In an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek, Travis Willingham, Lance Cantstopolis, and Joel Haver discuss “Dispatch.” They explained how their characters connect with Robert Robertson and what sets the game apart from other superhero media. Willingham also discussed Critical Role’s involvement and touched on the future video game.

What Sets Dispatch Apart From Other Superhero Stories

Temple of Geek: The superhero genre is so huge now because it’s had so many different mediums playing in that world. With all the different types of stories, what sets “Dispatch” apart from the other games, movies, shows, and comics?

Joel Haver:

I’d say, for me, coming into this and also being a bit superhero fatigued, it has none of that baggage. It doesn’t attach itself to any franchises or properties. It gets this blank slate to set its own tone to create its own characters. And I think that tone is appropriately grounded and adult while still retaining the charming campiness of a superhero story.

There’s a lot of absurdity in this, but it’s also treated with a straight face. And I think that’s such a delicate balance to like find a world that is so beyond ours that feels like ours and it feels like it could exist in ours. And that’s to me, as a fan, not even as a voice actor as just somebody playing the game as well. I’m like, oh, this just feels good to inhabit for that reason.

Travis Willingham:

I think there’s also a very relatable delivery method. Robert Robertson III, is just a normal guy who’s in a mech suit that his father used to have. He’s trying to make a name for himself in the superhero world. And when that all falls apart, he sort of had the rug pulled out from under him and he’s left sort of crawling and knocking on the door of SDN to try and find a new way to make a name for himself to do some good.

And that’s when you get into the building and you see all sorts of crazy characters. You got a lady that can create a rift from another dimension. She comes in looking like a demon with a sword. There’s an amalgamation of clay and other parts that’s walking around and you’ve just got all these characters that cover the gamut of I think what you love to see out of a crazy comedy cast of characters like this.

And it just keeps you wanting to go around the next corner and see who’s working at the desk, who’s working at the shredding machine. Who’s Xeroxing their ass on the copy machine. That’s just sort of what you want to find at SDN.

Lance Cantstopolis:

And even given the backdrop, it’s like oddly grounded even which is kind of cool. You wouldn’t expect it to be as true to life and like very human moments even in this fantastical world.

Temple of Geek: I did not anticipate how normal it would feel to see people in full superhero costume walking around in an office.

Lance Cantstopolis:

And the conversations are very natural. Like I’ve had this conversation before or I’ve had these feelings. So the backdrop may be a little different but like it’s very human.

Travis Willingham:

You can see it pains Robert Robertson to not be in a superhero outfit. He has like wear the collared shirt to go to work. It’s like untucked. He didn’t press it.

Joel Haver:

Yeah, and somehow they’ve struck this perfect balance where it feels familiar in that you recognize it as a superhero world, but none of the characters are springing to mind as this is a one-to-one with the one of thousands of other superheroes that exist. The character design is just incredible and the animation and how they depict each character just feels like so singular and unique to both video games and the superhero genre as a whole.

Travis Willingham Explains How He Found Phenomaman’s Voice

Temple of Geek: That perfectly leads into my next question. What was it about each of your characters that made you go I have to play this person.

Lance Cantstopolis:

I mean, I didn’t have a slew of characters to choose from. They kind of liked my vibe to begin with and then they were like, do you want to do it or not? I was like, do it! It seems very cool. Aaron Paul involved Jeffrey Wright all these talented voice actors from other video games so high-profile. I’m not even a part of this world. So it’s just a privilege to have your pinky touch it and they’re paying you. So yeah, like a thousand times. Yes.

Travis Willingham:

I think my character is a traditional play on that big voiced big guy superhero, but being an alien from another planet has not assimilated with humans very well. He doesn’t understand subtlety or romance or emotions. I don’t even think his body is compatible with other humans in certain ways. And so that was a lot of fun and just playing the awkwardness as sort of against typical voice from what I’ve had a chance to play in the past.

Joel Haver:

And for me, it’s just I think they found, like with Lance, they found a character that they felt I fit for. I obviously am just going to say yes because it’s such a cool project and that character just happened to be incredibly awkward and bumbling. I play Waterboy and he doesn’t know how to navigate any social setting, social situation, which I guess they saw that in me for some reason.

Temple of Geek: Travis one of the things I’m curious about is how you find the voice for an original character versus one of the characters that you’ve played that’s in an established IP. How is that a different method and approach for you?

Travis Willingham:

It’s the best. An original IP, a new character, is a hundred percent throwing spaghetti at the wall. I mean, you’re going to pull out all the colors from the easel and start, you try different things? Is it higher pitch? Do they have a big bass-y voice? Is there texture? Is there a crazy accent? Does he have a jilted way in the way he delivers his lines? It could be any of those things. And so you do all of them.

They usually say the rest of them suck and then they land on one thing that doesn’t entirely annoy them and it takes a while. It takes a couple hours just to dial it in because you’re also going to find the voice print and then figure out what that sounds like when he’s happy, sad when he’s feeling challenged when he’s really amped up and everything.

And so that sort of playtime is what I think we all look forward to in the early sessions, but it’s always great because you never really know where it’s going to go. And it’s much like any other type of improv where you’re just kind of taking new swings at it. It’s always fun to see where it turns out.

Dispatch Is Full Of Heroes Who Aren’t Where They Want To Be

Temple of Geek: Lance, I love that we have Flambae as this character who has kind of a not great past and is on this different path, but he also really is going to butt heads with Robert because of their own past. Can you talk to me kind of about how you navigated that depth with character while also just really leaning into how funny he is?

Lance Cantstopolis:

I mean, that’s kind of a vision of the writers and being in the booth. I can bust balls all day. It’s easy to be at that level, but sometimes I would do a line and it’s a great line. I crush it, but they’ll be like, he needs to be a little more sincere for the story. So then I have to put my Daniel Day Lewis hat on and then just get a little more whispery, bring it down, less bravado.

So they’re good at like, I’m a great, maybe I’m a red, and then they’re good at painting me a certain way. Like they like the color red and they know how to use me. I’m very I’m directable, you know, so there’s other VO stuff like I can do other, I work. I’m directive directable. Does it get serious, right? There’s some moments. There’s some moments where that’s like good voice acting.

Travis Willingham:

Can I borrow your Daniel Day Lewis hat? I need that every once in a while.

Lance Cantstopolis:

Yeah, it’s fun to have. Yeah.

Temple of Geek: One of the things that’s so fun to me about Robert is he doesn’t want this to be where he’s at. It’s not exactly what his plan was and he’s still trying to figure out his next steps. Can you talk to me a little bit about like how each of your characters impacts him a little bit as well as how he impacts them?

Joel Haver:

I’d say that that what you said about him kind of sums up every character in this game just about where they’re not where they want to be. Their hand is being forced a little bit. I think my character in particular, he almost doubts himself to the point that he doesn’t even think he belongs at this company, let alone like to be given the chance to be a hero.

He is relegated to the janitor. I think Robert provides everyone around him a sense of being and through that finds it in himself as well. And I think my character needed a long series of pep talks. I think depending on how you go through the game, he may or may not receive some of those pep talks.

Travis Willingham:

Robert is kind of talking to himself as he’s talking to you. Yeah, it’s funny if you are in this particular group of heroes, now heroes, it usually means you haven’t been succeeding at what you were trying to do.

You’ve got a higher fail ratio than you would probably like and now you’re trying to figure it out to avoid jail time or just to fit in with the human race, that you don’t belong. And so that’s I think one of the most amazing things about Robert Robertson is he’s coming in and he’s advising people that are in a lot of regards more fantastic than he is.

He’s sharing wisdom that he has from experience, but also from I think struggling against forces that are much greater than he is. Either through his mind or his money or his family’s ambition with the Mecha-Man outfit. It’s awesome to watch him get in there and try and corral this group of insane cats as they just run amok.

Lance Cantstopolis:

Yeah, it’s cool to see the dynamics change too. Because like me and Robert are at odds at the beginning and then, yeah, you can have a mask on for so long and then eventually you kind of get to the crux behind the person and have a little more empathy. So just seeing these kind of character arcs are very cool like within a video game.

Travis Willingham Explains Why The Dispatch Team Is Perfect For Critical Role

Temple of Geek: I completely agree. Travis you’re you’ve been a huge supporter of “Dispatch,” wanting to work with this team on other projects, and wanting to help expand it even beyond a video game. What was it about “Dispatch” that made you go there’s more here?

Travis Willingham:

So, at Critical Role we’re always fans of people that that can create their own worlds. That are able to just imbue their own stories with the sort of life and vibrancy and really the diversity of characters is just so amazing. And in the last 10 years, we’ve been able to turn our stories from anything from comic books, novels, animated series, as movies.

We just feel like there’s a lot here with “Dispatch” and for me personally, I just fell in love with the game. I loved the characters. I love the writing. I love the tone, the pacing. There was just so much to it. And so we really went to them and said like hey, we would love to partner on this if nothing else to be able to explore a Critical Role video game in the future, but how can we help bring this to market in a way that can be as interesting and fulfilling as possible.

We just think it deserves all the chance in the world and it’s been amazing to watch and only a couple days left. So we’re very excited to see what other people think.

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