AdHoc Studio’s acclaimed episodic superhero narrative game Dispatch has been officially confirmed as eligible for all major categories at the upcoming 2026 The Game Awards, representatives for the developer told Polygon this week. The confirmation came directly from Geoff Keighley, owner and host of the ceremony, clearing a surprising eligibility hurdle that had clouded one of 2025’s most critically celebrated titles as it heads into its bid for Game of the Year.
The news arrives despite an unusual timing wrinkle: all eight episodes of Dispatch’s first season shipped by November 12, 2025, landing just before the November 21 eligibility cutoff that governs the 2025 awards. That means the game technically qualified for last year’s ceremony on paper, yet it has now been granted a second window of consideration at the 2026 show — an arrangement developers rarely receive.
An Unusual Eligibility Situation
The path to this confirmation was anything but straightforward. Because Dispatch released its episodes in staggered fashion throughout late 2025, judges at last year’s ceremony faced a unique challenge when it came time to vote on nominations. The Game Awards typically holds its nomination voting earlier in November, well before the final episode had even launched.
“Last year we were nominated for Best Debut Indie Game even though judges had only played half the season, which was pretty wild and definitely meant a lot to our team,” AdHoc said in an email statement. “At the time, AdHoc did not provide early copies of episodes to press ahead of their release dates, so jury members were in the midst of the game as nominations were being considered.”
In other words, the very judges shaping last year’s ballot were still working through Dispatch’s story when they cast their votes — a circumstance that underscores just how much ground the narrative had yet to cover.
Awards Season Standout
The studio’s optimism about a 2026 run is well founded. While Dispatch secured a Debut Indie Game nomination at The Game Awards last year, its true awards momentum built over the final months of the calendar year, once voters had time to absorb the full weight of its eight-episode arc.
The game was subsequently nominated for six honors, including Game of the Year, at the DICE Awards. It earned three nominations at the Game Developers Choice Awards and took home three wins — plus a Best Game nomination — at the BAFTA Games Awards. Those results positioned Dispatch as one of the strongest narrative titles of its generation heading into any fresh ballot.
“Last year we were nominated for Best Debut Indie Game even though judges had only played half the season, which was pretty wild and definitely meant a lot to our team.”
AdHoc Studio
The Road Ahead
Even with official confirmation in hand, Dispatch faces an uphill climb. The Game Awards jury is known for being highly selective within its own eligibility parameters. Certain categories technically open up to early-access titles and expansion packs across all major awards, yet such games are rarely recognized in practice — the same pattern holds for late-year releases that slip past a given show’s deadline.
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