Players of the narrative game Dispatch have reacted negatively after the studio revealed it chose not to kill off one of the story's central characters at the end of the first season. The report, first noted by gaming outlet The Gamer, says that developers at AdHoc originally intended for the character Chase to die in episode six, but altered the script and let him survive.
According to the studio, the change came down to an unwillingness to part with a character the team had successfully made sympathetic to players. AdHoc also pointed to Chase's narrative importance in the first season as a reason for keeping him alive.
Many players interpreted the admission as a sign that the creators are reluctant to take bold or risky narrative decisions. In discussion forums and social media, users warned that undoing planned story beats can weaken the sense of danger in the game and undermine trust in future dramatic moments, if it becomes clear that main characters are effectively protected from real consequences.
Fans expressed particular concern about how this revelation might affect the tension and stakes of a potential second season. Several commentators argued that acknowledging a retreat from an originally intended death reduces the unpredictability of the story and could make later plot developments feel less meaningful.
Earlier, Dispatch faced controversy over changes made for the Nintendo digital storefront: the developers modified the artbook cover to give characters more modest swimwear after the game was subjected to content restrictions on that platform. That episode had already sparked discussion about how external pressures and platform policies can shape creative choices.
The debate around the decision to spare Chase has placed a spotlight on a broader question for serialized interactive storytelling: how should creators balance audience attachment, platform constraints and the narrative willingness to enact hard consequences? For many players, the answer will determine how much they trust future risks in the series.