Two of Dispatch's lead creators believe that Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul wouldn't have agreed to participate in the game if he realized how much work it would actually require.
Aaron Paul plays the central role of Robert, the playable character, in the game, so he is present throughout. Thus, his acting commitment was no small one.
“It was grueling,” narrative director Pierre Chorette told me recently. “We were worried he would never work with us again because it took so long. It's like water torture, an IV here and there. We'll call him after eight weeks of silence and be like, “Hey, we need you for four hours.” It's like, “Fuck, I thought I was done with this.” We just had to keep bringing him back for two years because he's basically in the whole damn game.”
“I think if he had known it was coming,” added game director Nick Herman, “he wouldn’t have done it.”
“He would definitely say no,” Shorett agreed. “Certainly.”
Initially, Dispatch AdHoc was talking about casting Rahul Kohli in the role of Robert.. “But we had and still have a great casting director who had a great relationship with [Aaron Paul]”And I think he really responded to the script,” Shorett said. “He felt it.” Aaron Paul also starred in the dark animated comedy Bojack Horseman, which bears tonal similarities to Dispatch. “He responded to that aspect of the game,” Shorett said. “And thank God, because I don't know what it's like without him at this point.”
Shorett went on to say that he actually spoke with Aaron Paul just recently, around the time Dispatch came out in October/November. “I was like, ‘Hey man, I feel empty. You’re famous and successful, have you ever felt like that?” And he immediately called me. That was a cool move, big brother.”
It was during this conversation that Aaron Paul told Shorett that in France he had been approached by people – fans – who had played Dispatch and apparently loved his work there. By the way, according to Shorett, Aaron Paul moved to France. “And I think he was approached a couple of times on the streets of Paris,” Shoret said.
“This happens all the time. [for him] but usually someone calls him a “bitch” across the street, apparently referencing Breaking Bad. People would drop it from time to time while the game was still out, like, “Hey, love you on Dispatch.” And he was shocked that the game got to France and that it kind of fell through.”
“Think about how long he has lived in the zeitgeist,” Herman added. “People only go to him for Breaking Bad. When someone comes up and says, 'Hey, this video game that's coming out right now, I love you in it,' that just doesn't happen to them.”
And remember that in the game this is just Aaron Paul's voice, albeit his very recognizable voice, not his digital likeness or recorded performance. “I think that’s when it hit him, ‘Oh, this is real,’” Herman said. “This is the thing that burst.”
The implications of this success, with Aaron Paul being praised on the streets of Paris for his work in the game, is that he will be much more likely to agree to be a part of whatever AdHoc does with Dispatch and then this will probably be season 2 of Dispatch. “I think, to be real, he kind of had to do what he did in order for him to be interested in doing it again,” Herman said, laughing.
Dispatch was a defining success for AdHoc, which had been struggling for several years to get the game signed and released. Eventually, a partnership with role-playing megagroup and now gaming brand Critical Role paved the way, and the game quickly gained an audience and reached 2 million in sales. Now AdHoc will need to decide what will happen next with Dispatch, and also do game based on the adventures of D&D Critical Role.
