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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
