- 2 months ago
Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy launched in October, 2025. Our features editor Andy Brown sat down with Aaron Paul to discuss his character, the process, and what makes this game so unique.
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00:00The answers are out there if you just listen to the wind.
00:10What drew you to Dispatch and how did it be in a game sort of influence your decision to like get involved with it?
00:17Yeah, well in truth, you know, I've always wanted to be a part of a game.
00:23I've had opportunities come my way, you know, in the past and nothing really felt like the right fit.
00:31And I've been spoiled in the animation space.
00:34And so, you know, I want to be very precious to me, to be honest.
00:39And so I don't want to just jump onto anything.
00:42And when Dispatch was sent my way, I mean, it was stacks of scripts.
00:48So it was a little alarming, to be honest.
00:51It's a lot.
00:53And I mean, this took two years to record, just so you know.
00:57So it was a lot.
00:59But they sent sort of a sizzle reel of the tone of what the game was going to be like.
01:05And also a really sort of beautiful, almost kind of poetic scene from the game.
01:14And I just really fell in love with the tone.
01:18You know, at the core of it, you know, it is a superhero sort of workplace comedy, but also there's a lot of dramatic, you know, heartfelt moments in it.
01:32And that's what I really responded to.
01:33And so after getting the batch of scripts, I started just, you know, looking through them.
01:41And I just really fell in love with the story that was being told.
01:44And so I sat down with the creators and we were all very much on the same page of what we wanted to do.
01:53And I quickly understood why, you know, the likes of, you know, like Jeffrey Wright wanted to do it.
01:59He's an old dear friend of mine, also work colleague.
02:02And he just really, he's very picky as well.
02:07And so I could see why he jumped on board.
02:11Yeah, it sounds like it really appealed to sort of like your creative side, I suppose.
02:15Yeah.
02:16Yeah, I think that I think gamers are going to really respond to this because it's definitely a world that they might be used to.
02:23But it's it has such such specific humor to it, but also the heart element to it really is strong.
02:35You know, I mean, they they they did that so beautifully with BoJack Horseman.
02:42You know, I I am very proud of that show.
02:45You know, I was very much part of the development process of that show.
02:49And what I really loved about that show is, yeah, it's funny.
02:55There's a lot of humor to it, but it's it's gut wrenching and it's it tells an honest story about really one man's struggle, you know, struggle with depression, with alcoholism, you know, and what they do, what they tackle on this show is, you know, it's a generational show.
03:15You know, I come from a family of superheroes that all wore this particular, you know, superhero costume, the Mecca suit.
03:23You know, I play the role of Robert Robertson, who also is a superhero by the name of Mecca Man.
03:29And it is just in his DNA, you know.
03:33You know, and I just I was very excited to just lean in and tell this man's story and and in turn, you know, all these other group of misfits, their stories and kind of, you know, root for them and cheer them on.
03:51Amazing. And because you mentioned BoJack, I think gaming generally is sort of like it's been on the edge of your circles and a lot of your roles.
03:58Is that something that comes from like a personal place? Have you got like you play games or anything?
04:03I used to and maybe I used to play them too much, you know, and as you know, games are very now.
04:12I mean, they're just I mean, they've been making great games for a very long time.
04:16Right. I remember the first time, like when Resident Evil, the first one came out, I was just I don't think I did anything else, you know, outside of playing that game.
04:27And so. So anyways, I'm married, I got a couple of kiddos now, I can't wait for them to kind of getting to the gaming world.
04:36They don't even they don't even know that that's an option in life right now just yet, but I'm excited to to be the one to introduce them to it.
04:44But yeah. Amazing. Cool. And so going back to Dispatch, what do you think it does or says or anything along those lines that sort of sets it apart from contemporary superhero staples?
04:59What I think is so great about this, this particular game is it's, you know, choose your own sort of adventure, your own journey.
05:08And so that's why it took so long to record, because we just recorded so many different options.
05:14And so I think a lot of people, you know, they're going to want to replay it and choose the opposite of what they chose before.
05:25And then that will lead you to a whole other list of options.
05:29And that's what I think is really unique and exciting about this game.
05:34And, you know, hopefully the performances people will like visually.
05:38I know it's just visually stunning, captivating and a lot of fun, you know, and so excited for people to kind of see the story that we're telling.
05:51Amazing. And there's quite a few.
05:54I've played the first probably about half hour of it, I think there's some really funny lines, bits like that.
06:00And I think one of my favorite bits is when they're all on call and Robert's on it for the first time.
06:04And they're just there's no respect that getting talked over.
06:07It's like just a very start to finish, funny little slice of the game.
06:10Yeah.
06:10Are there any particular line deliveries or interactions that stick in your mind that you just.
06:15Oh, man, there's there's honestly, there's so many.
06:18And there's just when I'm reading these scripts, I just I come in and I have to just say it out loud.
06:26I'm like, what were you thinking?
06:29You know, just laughing.
06:31I think there's so many.
06:33I don't know.
06:34I'm trying to think of one in particular.
06:36But it's such a also like situationally funny at times where you're just like, I, I can't believe that's happening in the background, you know, but I think people are going to really, really respond to the humor, but also the drama, you know, I think it's going to really hit some people, you know, tug at their heartstrings for sure.
07:01Amazing. And I hear whenever I speak to actors who have just sort of like started dabbling in games.
07:09One thing I hear a lot is that they sort of underestimate how much of a project it can be, something like that.
07:13So you mentioned it being sort of a branch and sort of narrative.
07:17How does that sort of work for you as opposed to like film, TV?
07:23Is it much difference in how you bring it together?
07:25Yeah, I mean, it's very similar to, to any sort of animated thing that I've done in the past, just in terms of, you know, you're going into a sound booth.
07:37Sometimes you have really cool visuals of what it's going to look like.
07:41Sometimes this stuff's already been animated.
07:44Sometimes not.
07:45It's just the, just the mountain we all had to climb, you know, to, to get this across the line was much bigger than I had anticipated.
08:00I mean, I had the scripts.
08:02Yeah, there's, there was a lot of scripts, so I knew it was going to take a long time, but I don't think any of us anticipated it to take two, two solid years.
08:12You know what I mean?
08:14I don't think we were planning on that, but, you know, we wanted to make sure it was done right.
08:21Again, there's a lot of options in terms of story, in terms of character that the, the gamer themselves are going to choose.
08:30And so we had to make sure every option was, was done properly, you know, with as much sort of dedication and excitement as the previous option.
08:40Yeah, that makes sense.
08:43And did you, you mentioned occasionally in sound booths, getting cool visuals to work with.
08:47Did you have anything, anything interesting to sort of work with on here?
08:51On this one?
08:52I mean, most of the time, the, the audio that I'm working with had already been recorded from the previous actors, which was really great.
09:02And even if it wasn't, you know, we had the, the, really the, the masterminds behind the creation of this particular game sort of reading opposite of me, which I, I actually enjoyed the most because they're just kind of stressing out, making sure it's done right.
09:20And, uh, I like to just give them a little bit, but, um, it was great.
09:25It was a lot of fun.
09:26Uh, a lot of times, you know, though there's particular sequences, like big kind of shoot them up crazy sequences that have already been animated just because it takes so long to do them that, uh, I was able to see, uh, ahead of time.
09:41And, and so that, that's always, uh, that's always nice.
09:45Cool.
09:46And so from the little I've sort of seen of Robert in that, um, demo, it seems like there's a sort of very complex character sort of sitting beneath that, um, first day on the job sort of look we get on him.
09:57Um, what was the biggest, I suppose, like challenge or element for you that sort of, is there anything in that role that you maybe had to put yourself out there for?
10:06Like really?
10:06Yeah, no, I, I mean, I kind of, I really kind of related to this guy, you know,
10:10he doesn't want to be, uh, doing what he's doing right now.
10:13He wants to put back on his suit and go fight crime.
10:17You know what I mean?
10:18I mean, his, his father was a superhero.
10:20His grandfather was a superhero.
10:22Uh, you know, he, I think deep down expects to most likely die in that, in that suit.
10:28Right.
10:29Um, and so the fact that he's sort of doing this day-to-day job running this dispatch of, of, uh, a group of, you know,
10:39misfits that were once kind of villains, uh, he's frustrated, you know?
10:44And so, uh, I just kind of forced myself to be just kind of frustrated with, with the whole process of it all.
10:51Um, but it's, again, it was just, uh, such a delight.
10:56I'm incredibly passionate about it.
10:58Um, I think everybody involved, uh, is incredibly passionate and excited about it.
11:04Um, so yeah, thrilled that it's finally coming out.
11:09Amazing.
11:10And sort of looking ahead, um, is games something you'd want to work in anymore?
11:16Like, has this been a positive experience?
11:17I hope so.
11:17To be honest, I had a great time doing it.
11:19And so, um, again, if, if, if it's on the page, if the story's there, uh, for sure, you know, uh, the people behind it, you know,
11:28it's all about sort of the, the masterminds, um, but, uh, yeah, we'll see.
11:34I mean, we'll see.
11:35I had a great time.
11:36So, um, yeah, I hope so.
11:38It's a very big cast of, it's such a strange cast.
11:41I don't know how much of the visuals of everything you've seen, but it's a very strange cast of like aliens and pretty much everything.
11:45Um, yeah.
11:47Did you?
11:48It's a great cast of characters.
11:48And I think, you know, I, I gotta say, like just gamers, my brother's a massive gamer, you know?
11:55Um, his big community of friends really are people that he's met just online, you know, like when he talks about his friends, you know,
12:05these are people he's never met in person, but it's, you know, people from Japan, people from South Africa, people from, you know, New York.
12:12Uh, but he talks to them every day on his headset.
12:16And it's just really, it's really amazing what gaming has done just for society as a whole.
12:24You know, it really has brought a particular group of people together, very passionate people that love to just get immersed into different worlds, you know, very like-minded people.
12:39This is why I love going to, um, like comic cons of a world because it is the most passionate group of fans.
12:47Like true, true fans that are just like all in, there's no sort of like, uh, disguise.
12:57I mean, there is a disguise a lot of times, but there's no real sort of disguise.
13:02Right.
13:03And, uh, I just love being surrounded by those people.
13:07And so this is honestly, one of the reasons why, and probably the biggest reason why I'm just so enthusiastic about being a part of a game of this caliber is just, uh, what I think it's going to do to the fans.
13:23You know, um, I just, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm so I'm happy.
13:27I'm proud to kind of be a part of the group, you know?
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