Outfit7, the entertainment brand behind the Talking Tom & Friends franchise, is set to release My Talking Hank: Islands on July 4th for iOS and Google Play.
A free expansion that is the size and scope of a new game that has been built on top of the highly successful My Talking Hank released in 2017, My Talking Hank: Islands brings with it free-roaming gameplay and a huge amount of new content in a total refresh of the title.
Jernej Česen, general manager of Outfit7, said in an interview with GamesBeat that he believes this new game will be a game changer for the market and what it has expected from games in the Talking Tom universe. With this game, the Slovenia-based team sought to make an immersive experience for fans.
“I am not talking just about the games, but also talking about video content, even physical products. Because we are always thinking about users and how to create complementary products. That they are actually feeding and supporting each other,” Česen said.
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The Talking Tom franchise has had an estimated 15 billion downloads in its history. A typical update for one of the games can generate tens of millions of downloads. Not bad for a team that has less than 400 people. This new game will be accompanied by 26 YouTube videos as additional content.
Outfit7 has been behind keeping the popular virtual pet genre alive and well, inspired from a long-standing legacy of Tamagotchi in the early days of potable gaming, to now taking full advantage of modern technology.
But despite their large audience and strength as a developer, getting attention for new titles has become increasingly challenging, meaning that developers must find ways to constantly evolve and expand their titles to effectively compete for user attention.
This has required Outfit7 to expand outside of its niche, and trial new ways to engage and retain players with updates and tweaks that have not traditionally fallen within the studio’s established skills in the past.
My Talking Hank: Islands seamlessly blends the classic charm of virtual pet caretaking with the satisfaction of island exploration. Players who download it during its first 14 days will receive an exclusive Dino outfit. What’s more, there’s a chance to win a share of the $20,000 prize pool.
Island adventures await
For the first time in the Talking Tom & Friends universe, players can walk freely around the game world, discovering secret spots and interacting with wildlife at their own pace. Throughout this vibrant and engaging environment, players will discover hidden secrets, unique collectibles, and take on various fun challenges. And this is only the first island. Soon, players will be able to travel with Hank to other islands. The adventure never ends.
Play and bond with new animal friends
As players explore the island, they’ll make friends with five different animals: lion, turtle, elephant, dolphin, and monkey. Players can play water polo with the dolphin, wash the elephant, help the turtle clean the beach, and even give a seriously pampered lion a makeover at his very own hair salon. Through these unique mini-games and activities, players can bond with each of their five new animal friends, creating unforgettable island memories.
Revamp Hank’s treehouse
Players can decorate and customize Hank’s Tree House with a variety of fun decorations, making it the perfect island getaway for their furry friend. The Tree House includes new mini games and features like an ice cream machine to enhance those summer vibes. And if players download within the first two weeks, they can equip Hank with a free Dino outfit.
Hank’s origins
Hank had his first appearance years ago, after the acquisition of Outfit7. Česen said he was a well-planned, well-designed character who was really well accepted by players from the start.
“After that, nothing significant happened with that one. My Talking Tom 2 was released. My Talking Angela 2 was released. My Talking Tom and Friends game was released,” Česen said. “But we saw that there were a lot of requests coming from the markets.”
He added, “We did many tests in the market how it can be done and what can be done. And also that we are just not going purely with the Tamagotchi theme. But can we give something else for our users on the market? And this is how the idea of My Talking Hank: Islands was actually (created).”
Outfit7 had to think not just about the Tamagotchi nature of the franchise, but also this idea of immersive exploration. That was a way that the developers could create a memorable experience with play.
“So this goes directly to a time where the idea was to keep the art that really works well for the users. They are enjoying it. And then how to build a long-term relationship with our users?” he said.
They wanted to give the players the agency to control Hank and explore and do whatever they wanted. He would be able to jump around, walk around, swim, fly, run, interact with animals. He becomes your companion.
“You can customize him. And actually, it’s just giving no limits the user imagination,” Česen said. “They will just continue the journey. They are going to be enjoying the game through the entire life cycle of Hank. Not just going in to feed him, dress him, but actually he is your companion when it comes to this operational guide.”
The great thing about Hank is that he is part of a universe that already has tremendous brand awareness around the world. There is a special animated series that will be released on YouTube. There will be 26 episodes released during the year, and it will tie in nicely to the Hank game, Česen said.
“The Hank character coexists on both platforms. So this is something completely new that we thought about before even starting development on the Hank game,” Česen said.
The roadmap
The roadmap will bring more updates and more new games and characters and companion products.
“We always want to stay true to ourselves. There are areas that we would like touch, but we also know that we don’t know everything. So we are also exploring and trying to extend our knowledge also with bringing traditional new people in the company, also doing good research and also a lot of tries,” Česen said. “Here it’s actually always thinking about how to extend and make the team as topical, intense, even stronger as it was in the past.”
What’s next? Well, there’s Ginger. Another character who doesn’t have her own game yet.
