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‘Maybe It’s a Creative Solution If You’re Not Creative’: Dispatch Devs Reject AI in Game Development
November 19, 2025AdHoc Studio, the team behind hit episodic game Dispatch, has drawn a clear line against using AI for voice acting or game development, even as much of the industry embraces the trend.
Creative director Nick Herman and executive producer Michael Choung aren’t interested in swapping genuine performances for algorithms. Dispatch’s star-studded cast, which includes Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad and Jeffrey Wright from The Last of Us and James Bond, has been widely praised for injecting authentic personality into the game. For AdHoc, there’s simply no substitute.
“No AI Is Going To Do What He Did”
In a discussion with GamesIndustry.biz, Herman didn’t mince words while reflecting on Jeffrey Wright’s work as the retired superhero, Chase. “No AI is going to do what he did,” he said. “He brought something to that character that we weren’t expecting.”
It’s not just Wright, though. Herman pointed out how the entire cast, including Paul, has transformed the material, delivering a level of performance AI simply can’t replicate. “You’re not going to be surprised,” he explained. “It’s built on something you’ve heard before if you go the AI route.”
Herman summed up AdHoc’s stance like this: “AI feels like a production solution, not a creative one. Maybe it’s a creative one if you aren’t creative.”
A Human Connection, Not a Headcount in Game Development
For Choung, the focus is on connection, not cutting costs. “Whatever we’re building, it has to connect. It’s got to be made by people. It’s got to connect to people,” he insisted. While AdHoc keeps an eye on what AI can do, Choung doesn’t see the tech as nearly “good enough” to meet their standards. “Good enough for us is the enemy.”
Reducing their team or workflow isn’t the goal. “We’re not getting up every morning and talking to ourselves like, ‘hey, what if we did this with less people? What’s the lowest number of people we can use to make this thing?’” Choung said.
For AdHoc, AI just doesn’t fit into their toolkit, at least, not right now. “It just doesn’t make a ton of sense,” the team concluded. That sentiment stands, even as they acknowledge that other studios may choose differently: “They can speak for themselves if they feel it necessary.”
Dispatch’s approach is working, at least when it comes to results. The game sold over 1 million copies within just 10 days of release, a number that shocked even AdHoc. Balancing comedy, superheroes, and memorable performances, Dispatch quickly grew a devoted following. The studio is now weighing up a possible second season, especially after players’ strong reactions to certain storylines.
While the industry debates where AI belongs, AdHoc is holding firm: real voices, real people, real connection.
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