AdHoc studios dropped a reveal trailer for the game’s Xbox debut, and we can’t really say that it’s a surprise considering just how successful the “workplace comedy” has been since its release. It managed 2 million copies sold in its first month, and managed to accrue 3 million players last year. We found it to be an amazing title that was quite enjoyable to play in a day and age where episodic releases might not get the traction that they deserve.

It follows Robert’s story as he finds himself stuck behind a desk working for the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN), dispatching other superheroes to battles that he once dominated after being forced into retirement by his arch nemesis. Things take several drastic turns from there, and this one’s a story you don’t want to miss if you haven’t played it before.

The reveal trailer below should give you a good idea of what to expect, but you’d be wise to expect a whole lot of surprises and twists along the way if you’re thinking of diving in when it launches for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud.

Even more impressive are what players have achieved, with 52.5 million completed shifts, 727 million answered calls, and more than one billion heroes dispatched. It even proved extremely popular on YouTube and Twitch, amassing over 23 million hours watched.

Divided into eight Episodes, Dispatch focuses on Robert Robertson, the new Mecha Man (voiced by Aaron Paul). Or at least he was, until the supervillain Shroud and his cronies laid waste to the suit. To pay for the repairs and get by on his own, Robert becomes a dispatcher for the Superhero Dispatch Network, sending teams of heroes to intercept various crimes.

The twist is that he’s in charge of a group of reformed supervillains, and they’re not always keen on following orders. By allocating different characters based on their skills, players can resolve incidents, though various other conflicts may arise in the process. Check out our review for more details.

Dispatch is available for PS5 and PC. It’s also out on January 28th, 2026, for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

Along with ARC Raiders, games like Battlefield 6, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 were also among the top releases in the charts. Some older games could also be seen, with 2023’s Baldur’s Gate 3, 2020’s Cyberpunk 2077, and 2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5 also being represented, albeit with its Enhanced Edition release.

Valve has also seen continued success with the Steam Deck, with SteamDB ranking the handheld gaming PC as the second-best-selling Steam item, just under ARC Raiders. Check out the list below.

Embark Studios itself hasn’t revealed recent sales data for ARC Raiders, rumours from back in November indicated that it was close to hitting 7 million sales just a month after its release.

ARC Raiders art director Robert Sammelin had recently spoken about Embark Studios’ plans to support the extraction shooter for “the longest time.” In an interview from last month, he noted that the studio has a 10-year plan and that as long as players continue to engage with the title, support will continue.

“Our ambition is to keep this game alive for the longest time. It is a live game,” said Sammelin. “It’s something that we want to keep alive for the longest time possible, as long as players engage with it and have fun and see that it is evolving in a good way.”

The art director also spoke about how the community of ARC Raiders plays a vital role in the game’s evolution, since a major reason for the extraction shooter’s success hinges on how players interact with each other.

“I think games like this will evolve depending on community behaviours, feedback, and how we pick out the things we see people engage really well with. But also throw things into the mix that sort of afford new challenges and opportunities within the game,” he explained.

“I think there’s a wide range of routes that we can take with this, and time will tell how we sort of dig into it. But we for sure have a pretty long-standing plan of where we want to take it.”

As part of the studio’s plans to support ARC Raiders, the Cold Snap update was released last month, bringing with it a new Winter-themed weather condition which also affects gameplay by prompting players to seek shelter (or die trying). It also affects visibility and movement, making some surfaces much more challenging to traverse.

ARC Raiders is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review. Also check out our guide on all ARC machines and how you can beat them in battle.

Top ten best-sellers on Steam from December 23 to December 30:

1. ARC Raiders
2. Steam Deck
3. Battlefield 6
4. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
5. Baldur’s Gate 3
6. EA Sports FC 26
7. Dispatch
8. Cyberpunk 2077
9. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
10. Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced

Original Story:

AdHoc Studio is still undecided about a second season for Dispatch, its superhero workplace comedy that shocked everyone by selling more than two million units. Nevertheless, other platform versions, like the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, could be coming soon.

Resetera recently spotted a listing for the same on the Nintendo eShop in Australia. Both versions will seemingly launch on January 29th, 2026, for $39.55 AUD, if you pre-order to avail the ten percent discount. The full season apparently occupies 13.5 GB on both platforms.

You can also purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes the base game, four digital comics that span more than 45 pages, and a digital artbook with over 100 pages of art for $52.65 AUD. Of course, you can upgrade from the Switch 1 to the Switch 2 version for free.

AdHoc Studio has yet to confirm any of this, but expect an announcement before the Holidays begin. Dispatch is currently available for PS5 and PC. Check out our review for the full season here.

Abrak spoke about how Hitman levels are typically designed to be much denser and allow for several hours’ worth of gameplay. While Dispatch offers some replayability thanks to narrative choices that players can make, resulting in branching paths, Abrak noted that Hitman’s levels focused on it to a much greater extent. Having less replayability in a given episode also means that developers have to be quicker about releasing the next episode.

“Yeah, I’m playing Dispatch myself, I think half of the globe is. It’s freaking fantastic, it’s a very, very nice game,” said Abrak. “Absolutely. It is a bit different, though, right?”

“We were, for sure, too early with the concept, and there were many, many mistakes made. We were also banging on that one Hitman level can yield 50 hours plus of gameplay, whereas the Dispatch structure is a bit different. It’s a much more episodic format, where yes, you can go back and kiss Mandy, or not kiss her – I actually went back and replayed that part – but when there’s less replay opportunity, then you want to have the next episode coming sooner.”

The studio has taken these lessons to heart, said Abrak, who also spoke about the value of brevity for games. He noted that not all games need to be 40 hours long, and that the medium can also learn from short-form TV shows that tell an entire story in six episodes.

“So yes, there are learnings on that, and I think that’s a huge topic,” he said. “What is the future of gaming? Do all games need to be 40 hours? One of the things I enjoy a lot is short TV series, just six episodes, especially the British ones. I love that, it’s not too long. So I think it’s very interesting, we are thinking about these things for future instalments.”

While 2016’s Hitman saw an episodic release for its levels, IO Interactive largely left the idea behind when it released Hitman 2 and 3. The studio did manage to hang on to some of the episodic trappings, however, thanks to its regular releases of new content like Elusive Targets. Looking to the future, IO Interactive is currently working on 007: First Light for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s another full release rather than an episodic one. For more details about the upcoming title, check out the recent trailer unveiling the Aston Martin Valhalla.

This is especially impressive when you consider that (A) Dispatch is a new IP in a genre that isn’t exactly the hottest and (B) AdHoc Studio previously set a three-year sales target. That figure in question was unknown, but the title was track to reach it within three months. Will it revise those expectations once again in the wake of this new milestone? Time will tell.

Dispatch is available for PS5 and PS5 with the story following former superhero Robert Roberston, as he joins the Superhero Dispatch Network. The problem is that he oversees a squad of former villains that consistently rank at the bottom of the leaderboards, and must find a way to turn things around. For more details on the complete season, check out our review.

The urge to fight against one’s supervillain instincts even after numerous failures; the journey to be better, even when the whole world tells you that you’re a screw-up; the drive to be a hero, even when you don’t fit the bill; and moving on, even if the pain is all you’ve ever known. Dispatch, AdHoc Studio’s first proper narrative adventure game since announcing The Wolf Among Us 2 with Telltale Games way back when, tackles all of these subjects and more with a humanistic lens.

The structure will be very familiar with its extensive cutscenes, emphasis on dialogue choices, and ominous upper-left notifications that so-and-so character will remember that. However, Dispatch goes far beyond the usual Telltale format to deliver a story with sharp writing, phenomenal characterization that makes every character endearing, and yes, even some fun gameplay elements that elevate it beyond the average text-based adventure with bells and whistles.

"All of these characters and so many more are just so delightfully written. Comedy in any superhero story is tough, especially in this post-MCU age, but Dispatch pulls it off without a hitch, with the tight dialogue and pacing supplanted by the excellent performances."

Of its many relatable moments, the story begins with Robert Robertson, aka Mecha Man, or at least the latest to inherit the suit. After a battle against the mysterious Shroud and his super-powered cronies, the suit is pretty much destroyed. A chance encounter with the Blonde Blazer leads to an offer to work for the Superhero Dispatch Network. His task is to manage a group of superheroes, allocating them to different tasks and overseeing their progress.

However, Robert’s job involves dealing with a group of so-called “reformed” supervillains with bad attitudes. What should be the set-up for a sitcom-like situation is…well, exactly that, and Dispatch doesn’t shy away from feeling like The Office meets the Thunderbolts. The Z-Team, such as they are, are as comical as they are dangerously powerful, but the engaging writing means you’ll want to learn more about them, even at their ugliest.

Invisigal can turn invisible but only when holding her breath, and asthma means an inhaler is as essential as her fists. Sonar is a Harvard graduate – smart but also arrogant when he’s not being an idiot (it’ll make sense, don’t worry). He’s also capable of transforming into Mega Bat, which does little to change his demeanor but at least offers more tools to tackle different situations. Flambae is a hothead in terms of powers and demeanor, though his Razor Ramon-like charisma makes up for his lack of intelligence.

All of these characters and so many more are just so delightfully written. Comedy in any superhero story is tough, especially in this post-MCU age, but Dispatch pulls it off without a hitch, with the tight dialogue and pacing supplanted by the excellent performances.

Phenomaman, played by Travis Willingham, may come across as your average arrogant take on Superman, but instead comes across as more clueless and innocent to the world around him. Coupé, played by Mayanna Berrin (who’s also one of the writers, amazingly enough), is as shrouded in mystery as any assassin-turned-superhero, yet her snark and deadpan delivery elevate her beyond the same. Alanah Pearch as Malevola is dark and imposing with her supernatural powers, but also strangely approachable and relatable in her own way.

"Disruptions present skill checks of a sort, challenging you to resolve emergencies by leaning on a certain hero’s strengths. Then again, if you’re smart and send the right hero for a job, they can instantly resolve it without any risks."

It’s so difficult to choose a favorite character because of how great they can be, whether it’s basking in victories or mocking each other with parodies of artist names (which could have been disastrous anywhere else). However, Robert Robertson, played by Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, is the glue that connects it all. Bouncing between naivete, self-deprecation, cynicism, wishful thinking, and blind hope sounds impossible, and yet, he delivers an incredibly layered performance.

While the humor is a big appeal of Dispatch, it’s only one part of the overarching narrative. Trying to be a hero even without powers and his family’s keepsake, Robert is an empathetic figure as a whole, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t prone to bouts of anger and annoyance. Much of that rides on the player’s own dialogue choices, yet it never feels like you’re pursuing one personality over the others. Instead, they’re all shades of the once (and hopefully once-again) Mecha Man, resulting in exchanges that feel natural without ever breaking character. Multiple other threads run through the story, but I don’t want to spoil them – they’re just that much worth experiencing first-hand.

However, oftentimes in a Telltale-style experience, the writing and presentation have to do more than their share of heavy-lifting to carry the gameplay, which ends up serviceable but an accessory overall. Dispatch weaves its set-up into the actual gameplay mechanics, presenting a pseudo-management-style game. Throughout your shift, new cases and emergencies crop up, and you need to send a hero – or heroes if multiple slots are available – to deal with them. Each Z-Squad member is skilled in different stats. Prism is charismatic and more than capable of dishing out a beating, but Golem can also deal damage while tanking more than his fair share.

Not everyone is capable of handling the same emergencies, so oftentimes, it may be a good idea to send other heroes to shore up any weaknesses. When they complete a task, they’ll return to SDN HQ and rest, making them temporarily unavailable during this short period (unless you use consumables like a fresh pot of coffee to get them off the bench). Other emergencies will pop up, though, and it becomes a task of juggling resources.

You would think this might quickly become stale, but Dispatch shakes things up in constantly surprising ways. Disruptions present skill checks of a sort, challenging you to resolve emergencies by leaning on a certain hero’s strengths. Then again, if you’re smart and send the right hero for a job, they can instantly resolve it without any risks. Certain scenarios also provide avenues for a hacking mini-game where Robert navigates paths, using directional inputs to unlock gates, obtain passwords and avoid viruses to commandeer cameras or track down scammers.

"Even after the positive reception to its first two episodes, I never thought AdHoc Studio would build on that momentum and deliver one of my favorite stories – video game and otherwise – of this year."

But that’s not all. Completing tasks earns XP for heroes, allowing you to improve one of their stats to min-max their respective proficiencies or make them more suited for other tasks. So while I kept Sonar as a more intelligent, charismatic individual and Invisigal as the hard-hitting, mobile hero, Malevola would slowly but surely evolve into a hero that could potentially shore up weaknesses in any team-ups.

Each hero also has different traits, like Invisigal working better alone or Prism creating a copy of another hero, adding half their respective stats to the task at hand. Did I mention that superhero training can also crop up, letting you select different specializations for each hero? Flambae’s talent for burning hot and instantly crashing out is manifested in Supernova, where succeeding two jobs in a row will max out his combat and mobility stats and eliminate rest time. However, one failure and all his stats drop to 1. Heroes can also get injured or go out of commission, and it’s up to you to adapt. If certain team-ups succeed enough times, they’ll unlock powerful synergies, making them even more of a force to reckon with.

Even with all this happening, it never bogs down the narrative, instead complementing and accentuating it in different ways. Heroes chat with each other – and Robert – during shifts, sometimes even going off on their own for different reasons. A seamless interface and controls ensure the pacing remains slick all throughout, while the different options and approaches lend some surprising amounts of replay value.

In terms of presentation, Dispatch’s visuals and music are top-tier, the former making each episode feel more like a high-quality animated TV show than a game on most occasions. However, I was also very impressed by the cinematography, editing and overall cutscene choreography. Even without the choices and gameplay, this would be a highly compelling show to watch in its own right. With them, it’s a superhero story that’s simply impossible to resist.

Even after the positive reception to its first two episodes, I never thought AdHoc Studio would build on that momentum and deliver one of my favorite stories – video game and otherwise – of this year. Dispatch is just so packed with such passion, be it in the writing, performances and presentation, that it’s almost impossible to put down. Where Robert, Z-Squad and the SDN go from here remains to be seen, but this is a narrative adventure that you simply owe it to yourself to experience.

This game was reviewed on PC.

The organization is seemingly responsible for the majority of crime in Los Angeles, as the Superhero Dispatch Network wrestles with its operations. It also seems that the group is trying to discern Robert’s identity, which means throwing a cup of coffee and seeing if he dodges it.

Dispatch’s story focuses on the former Mecha Man who, after a deadly encounter with the villain Shroud, is left without his mech suit. He joins the SDN to make ends meet while also repairing his namesake. The entire adventure revolves around dispatching various heroes to crime scenes, selecting those best suited for the task at hand.

Episodes 7 and 8 premiere on November 12th and effectively wrap up the season. Ad-Hoc hasn’t confirmed whether any follow-ups are in the works after its success, but stay tuned for updates.

The figure follows the debut of Episode 1 and 2 on October 22nd for PS5 and PC, which introduced players to the world of the choice-driven, superhero workplace comedy. Adhoc has been delivering episodes weekly toward a mid-November finish, keeping the cadence tight to sustain interest throughout. Episodes 5 and 6 will arrive on November 5th at 9 AM PST.

Momentum looks real; alongside the sales beat, Dispatch is posting a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, a useful social proof for an offbeat, narrative-forward release from a Telltale veteran team. It has accrued 19,314 reviews at this time, with 93 percent giving it the thumbs-up.

Bottom line: Big early numbers plus brisk episode cadence suggest Dispatch isn’t just a feel-good debut, but that fans are invested in the story and characters enough to see what happens next.

Herman said that the studio had worked on the script for the sequel, claiming it would be better than the original. However, issues started popping up when working on the game’s cinematics and animations, with progress on the project stalling out because Telltale needing more time. This led the studio to start working on other projects, including Dispatch.

“We wrote a season, Season Two,” explained Herman. “We think it’s better than Season One – and we were on Season One. And yeah, we’re really proud of it. We were doing tests. We were in cinematics and animation and stuff. And then basically they needed more time. “They weren’t… We weren’t running the project. It was Telltale we were doing it in partnership with. And we couldn’t wait around and do nothing, so we had to move on to Dispatch to keep the studio moving, and they needed to go their own way.”

“We’re looking forward to seeing what they do with it,” he continued. “I don’t know how much of our version of the script is going to make it into what they end up making. But if one day we were able to make the thing that we wrote and were in the middle of directing, we think people would love it. So, you know, good luck.”

The Wolf Among Us 2 has reportedly been under development for quite some time now, first under AdHoc Studio working alongside Telltale before being brought in directly at the publisher for in-house development. However, the company is yet to reveal any more information about the title since its confirmation from October 2024 that it hadn’t been cancelled.

“As a rule, we don’t comment on rumours and unsubstantiated Reddit threads,” said Telltale’s PR in a statement. “But development on The Wolf Among Us 2 continues, and we’re excited to share more about the game with Telltale fans and our community when the time is right.”

Earlier last year, Telltale Games had given us a look at The Wolf Among Us 2 with the release of a few screenshots. While the screenshots don’t really reveal much, they did confirm that Bigby Wolf will still be returning as the protagonist of the game, and that he will get to visit at least two distinct locations judging by the background art of the screenshots.

Development on the title had likely hit a major snag back in 2023 when a major part of the team working on it was laid off “due to current market conditions”. Among those that had to leave the company at the time included cinematic director Jonah Huang, who had noted that many of them had been laid off in September 2023.