An IGN video published November 21, 2025, frames a story about Dispatch character Sonar with the claim that he “wasn’t meant to be in the game.” But the indexed video page has no transcript, and the available interview with art director Derek Stratton does not reproduce that exchange. The headline wording is therefore not enough to verify what Stratton said or what he meant.
Was Sonar never meant to be in the game?
That is how IGN’s November 21, 2025, video title presents the anecdote. Without a transcript or fuller account of the conversation, however, the exact wording, context, and meaning are not established. It is safest to treat it as a claim attributed to Stratton by the video’s framing—not as a confirmed verbatim quote.
Insider Gaming identified Derek Stratton as Dispatch’s art director in a September 17, 2025, interview. That interview discusses the game’s visual direction but does not confirm the Sonar anecdote or explain why the character was included.
Why was Sonar added to Dispatch?
The available sources do not establish why Sonar was added, whether he was a late change, or what role he played in the game’s development. No specific design reason can be reliably attached to Stratton based on the accessible interview and video page.
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Stratton’s interview does provide context for the game’s art direction: he describes an intentionally design-led look, including restrained character shading, matte-painted backgrounds, compositing, cinematography, composition, and lighting. That helps explain the visual approach, but it should not be mistaken for an explanation of Sonar’s origins.
How Sonar fits into Dispatch
Dispatch is a superhero workplace comedy built around narrative choices and strategic dispatch shifts. Xbox Wire describes Robert Robertson, also known as Mecha Man, taking a dispatcher job after his mech suit is destroyed. The official description says choices in story scenes affect dispatch gameplay, and choices during dispatch can affect the narrative in turn.
Co-Creative Director Dennis Lenart told Xbox Wire: “Within the framework of narrative story segments and gameplay-focused shifts, we were able to strike a balance where the gameplay never ran long enough to stop the momentum of the story.” That describes the balance between story and gameplay, not the development history of any one character.
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Where to find the relevant sources
- IGN’s November 21, 2025, video is the source for the claim’s headline framing; its indexed page does not provide a transcript.
- Insider Gaming’s September 17, 2025, interview with Derek Stratton identifies his role and discusses the game’s art direction, but does not verify the Sonar anecdote.
- Xbox Wire’s March 26, 2026, article describes Dispatch’s story-and-gameplay structure and includes Lenart’s comments.
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