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Can you defy the industry experts by refusing to compromise on your creative vision?

When the entire gaming industry declares a genre dead and claims nobody is buying narrative-driven games anymore, most studios pack up and pivot. But the team at Adhoc Studio did the exact opposite; they stuck to their guns, bet on their passion, and shattered every single expectation. Their debut game, Dispatch, blew past the skeptics to achieve a 97% overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam and over four million copies sold worldwide.

Bridging the gap between two fiercely distinct creative worlds, Nick Herman (Co-founder and COO) and Natalie Herman (Head of Production) joined Ben to break down how they pulled off this "magic trick" of a launch. Bringing a masterful blend of creative grit and operational expertise, Nick and Natalie pull back the curtain on what happens when you dare to build a studio on an original IP. In this conversation, they share the raw reality of navigating intense launch crises, managing the brutal push-and-pull of high-fidelity pre-rendered animation, and evolving from hands-on individual contributors into leaders who empower their team to shine.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

How to combine a game development pipeline with a TV animation pipeline—even when the two systems were never designed to work together.
Why putting story ahead of gameplay can create stronger emotional connections and make players care more about your characters.
The secret to building a thriving remote studio culture without micromanaging your team.
What happens behind the scenes when a major release gets hit by massive leaks—and how to keep your team focused through the chaos.
How to identify hidden talent, give people real ownership, and build a team that stays with you for years.
The biggest lessons learned from creating story-driven games that challenge conventional design rules.
Why trust, autonomy, and creative freedom often outperform rigid management processes.
The leadership principles that helped scale a studio while maintaining a strong creative culture.

If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of copy-pasting the same safe mechanics and is ready to fight for an unconventional vision despite what the publishers say, this episode is for you.

Learn more about Dispatch:

🔗 Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592160/Dispatch/

🔗 Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34996965/

🔗 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl0lwcDCTPL2LALusiS_xmw

AdHoc Studio:

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-adhoc-studio/

🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadhocstudio/

Learn more about our guests:

Nick Herman:

🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-herman-2b370b28/

🔗Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2550705/

🔗Mobygames Profile: https://www.mobygames.com/person/255829/nick-herman/

🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nickherman_/

🔗X: https://x.com/nickherman?lang=en

Natalie Herman:

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-a-herman/

🔗 Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6048997/

🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkthefake/

🔗X: https://x.com/funkthefake

Connect with us:

🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/

🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/

🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/#

🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg

🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames

If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com

#GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #NarrativeDesign #IndieGameDev #BuildingBetterGames