AdHoc CEO Michael Choung thinks most studios should avoid episodic releases, a stance he makes clear even as Dispatch--the studio’s debut superhero workplace comedy--has become a runaway success. Choung says the weekly-release format that helped Dispatch explode past 1 million sales in 10 days and put it on track to hit its three-year sales target in just three months was difficult at every turn and an actual "insane thing to do."
Speaking to technology newsletter Knowledge, Choung recalled being warned repeatedly that releasing the game week by week instead of all at once was a terrible idea. But the team believed the format was essential for the story. "What's inside that game is basically three feature-length premium animated films and a video game, all meshing and rubbing up against each other," he said. The narrative had always been structured episodically, even though it went against industry "conventional wisdom."
Despite internal debate, AdHoc settled on releasing two episodes weekly rather than dropping the game all at once, splitting it into halves, or spacing out individual episodes. The bet paid off dramatically. "There would just be a longer time period for it to be covered," Choung explained. This kind of schedule created a sense that "the train is leaving the station, but not just yet--I can still make it," which encouraged players to jump in. Contrary to expectations that week-two numbers would fall, concurrent users kept doubling with each release.
"Those things, we anticipated. I don't think we anticipated the scale of it," he said.
Still, Choung insists this approach shouldn't become a trend. "From every metric, from a production perspective, no one should do this. If you think episodic alone is going to be the thing that dictates success for you, then good luck!” he said. While AdHoc would be "thrilled" to see others succeed with the model, he stresses that it is grueling and risky.
Beyond release strategy, AdHoc has also drawn attention for rejecting AI as a replacement for creative roles. "AI feels like a production solution, not a creative one," said creative director Nick Herman. "Maybe it's a creative one if you aren't creative."
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Speaking to technology newsletter Knowledge, Choung recalled being warned repeatedly that releasing the game week by week instead of all at once was a terrible idea. But the team believed the format was essential for the story. "What's inside that game is basically three feature-length premium animated films and a video game, all meshing and rubbing up against each other," he said. The narrative had always been structured episodically, even though it went against industry "conventional wisdom."
Despite internal debate, AdHoc settled on releasing two episodes weekly rather than dropping the game all at once, splitting it into halves, or spacing out individual episodes. The bet paid off dramatically. "There would just be a longer time period for it to be covered," Choung explained. This kind of schedule created a sense that "the train is leaving the station, but not just yet--I can still make it," which encouraged players to jump in. Contrary to expectations that week-two numbers would fall, concurrent users kept doubling with each release.
"Those things, we anticipated. I don't think we anticipated the scale of it," he said.
Still, Choung insists this approach shouldn't become a trend. "From every metric, from a production perspective, no one should do this. If you think episodic alone is going to be the thing that dictates success for you, then good luck!” he said. While AdHoc would be "thrilled" to see others succeed with the model, he stresses that it is grueling and risky.
Beyond release strategy, AdHoc has also drawn attention for rejecting AI as a replacement for creative roles. "AI feels like a production solution, not a creative one," said creative director Nick Herman. "Maybe it's a creative one if you aren't creative."
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