In our interview with Jernej Česen, COO and General Manager at Outfit7, we first explored how the company is evolving internally through its cell strategy, followed by why it created Outfit7 Neo as a separate publishing layer to support new genres and audiences.
We pivoted toward the future of the characters themselves, and Jernej took on an interesting discussion about why the company doesn’t view “transmedia” as just a marketing term, but on how Outfit7 has always built its biggest strength: not just as games, but as a long-term brand that exists across multiple touchpoints.
Building a Character-Driven Ecosystem Beyond Games
When we asked about the shift to video content, collaboration, and physical products like toys, Česen noted this was part of the ecosystem they planned and that this long-term vision has always been present from the beginning.
“It was never about just one game, but was building the ecosystem or building the brand. That’s why Tom has the character persona from the start. It was not just a new cat, but it was in tone with his feelings, with how he’s reacting. Same also for Angela and for the entire gang”, he explained.
Jernej explained that by having Talking Tom with a distinct personality, focusing on how he feels and how he reacts to the player, they created an opportunity that allowed the character to cross over into different forms of media.
“If you want to build brands, you need to have different touch points for the brands. So here, one part was games, another part was video content. Yes, we were big on YouTube, but it also went further. So we had broadcasting, cinema streaming, and licensing of physical products. We went into utility companion apps as well. So with all these, I believe that we were always present in this.”
Creating a Brand People Recognize Beyond the Product
Jernej’s vision of transmedia is to exist in a way where people connect the logo and the visual with the values it brings, rather than just the product they are consuming.
“If someone is walking down the street and I ask a random person what brand they would recommend, they should say Talking Tom and Friends,” he said. “For me, this is the reference point.”
He compared this to brands that go beyond their core product, citing Red Bull as an example. “When I see the logo, I instantly connect it with extreme sports, bold ideas, and strong advertising. Even though it’s just an energy drink, they created a completely different segment and connected the brand to it,” he explained.
That is ultimately the goal. “I want people to feel proud to wear a Talking Tom and Friends shirt, because they know what it represents,” Česen said.
For Outfit7, this is what transmedia truly means. Not just expanding across platforms, but building a brand where people connect the logo, the characters, and the experience with something bigger than the product itself.
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