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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: [email protected]

#GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #NarrativeDesign #IndieGameDev #BuildingBetterGames