After 10 years smartphone mayhem, music, and imagination on, we talked to Outfit7 about the past and future of My Talking Angela.
First released back in 2014, Talking Angela came quick on the heels of another widely successful Tamagotchi style pet simulator. While Talking Tom targeted a fan base happy for a little tomfoolery, Angela ended up being more than a game for the girls. Over the last decade, she’s managed to be a friendly face across a franchise full of games, a music star, and a participant in a range of running sims. Her cast of friends has grown, she’s appeared on animated adventures and developed her own personality that shines through. Now, players can pick up their phone and look after Angela, eat, dress, craft, sing, visit new places, bake, buy, and exercise in My Talking Angela 2. There’s even more coming to Angela’s world at 10, and we sat down with Silina Senica Pintar & Rok Mioč from the development team to talk about a decade of My Talking Angela and what’s up next.
Thanks for taking some time to talk to us. Can you introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about your roles at Outfit7?
Silina: I’m a Product Manager for My Talking Angela 2, and my job is all about turning cool ideas into awesome experiences that our players will love. I work with a bunch of different teams—development, design, marketing, and analytics—to make sure that everything comes together smoothly and that we’re all on the same page. It’s a mix of planning, collaborating, and always thinking ahead to make sure we’re pushing the game to the next level. I’ve been at Outfit7 (Ekipa2 d.o.o. subsidiary) for almost three years now, and it’s been an exciting ride so far.
Rok: I’m a Game Designer, and I like to think of my role as figuring out what will make the game fun, exploring new ideas, and then outlining them so the programmers and artists can bring them to life. After that, it’s my job to make sure the final game that players get to experience lives up to the fun we promised. In short, game designers translate ideas into fun, fun into numbers, and numbers into the emotions of players. I’ve been at Outfit7 (Ekipa2 d.o.o. subsidiary) for nearly four years, and for the past couple of years, I’ve been working on all our bigger games.
What does Talking Angela mean to you?
Silina: To me, Angela is more than just a character in our games—she’s a personality that’s grown alongside our players’ needs and interests. When she was first introduced, she was meant to balance out Talking Tom’s character, reaching parts of our audience that he didn’t quite connect with. But over the years, Angela’s role has really expanded. She’s become this vibrant figure in the Talking Tom & Friends universe, with interests in music, arts, and fashion that make her fun, creative, and relatable. She offers players a chance to connect with a character on a deeper, more personal level. Angela’s impact on the community is just as meaningful. The way players embrace her and the excitement they show around her character tell us how much she resonates globally. My Talking Angela’s 10th anniversary is a special milestone for us because it’s a celebration of how far Angela has come, and a testament to the bond our audience has built with her over time.
Rok: That’s a really good question, and honestly, it’s kind of hard to pinpoint what Angela really means to me. From a game designer’s perspective, it’s been an interesting project because I’ve had to step into the shoes of our female audience and understand what drives them to play and enjoy the game. It’s not always easy, but it’s been a fun and rewarding process to figure that out. On a more personal note, I love that Angela’s games look amazing and offer so much freedom for players to express themselves. Not many games give you that level of creative control, and I think that’s one of the things that makes the My Talking Angela series stand out. But it’s really the team behind her that makes it all come together. The creativity, the energy they bring to the project—it’s what makes working on My Talking Angela series so enjoyable for me.
What do you feel Angela means to the community? Why do you think they play the game?
Rok: I think part of it is because Angela is quite unapologetic in what it is. It’s like, “Hey, do you want to do fun, creative stuff?” A certain part of our player base really loves that, and Angela just says, “Yes, we’re going to go do that, and we’re going to go do that together.” She gives players a space where they can explore creativity—whether that’s styling outfits, dancing, or just hanging out—and it feels like she’s right there with them, cheering them on.
The real magic is how it taps into that feeling of best friends doing cool, creative things together. That’s what helps players connect with the game on a really nice level, and that’s what keeps them coming back.
My Talking Angela is turning 10 this year. When talking about Iconic titles that have been popular for so long, most people would think of Warcraft, LoL, Runescape, or Pokemon. How has My Talking Angela stayed relevant for so long?
Silina – Mobile games don’t usually get to celebrate big milestones like this, since a lot of them are built for shorter lifespans. But My Talking Angela is different. It’s designed to offer something for everyone—whether you’re into fun mini-games, getting creative with Angela’s style, or just hanging out in her world. There’s always something new to keep players coming back. And we’ve worked hard to keep things fresh with regular updates and new features, but the real secret is staying connected with what the players want.
Angela has stuck around for 10 years because she adapts to her audience. She’s not just static—she evolves as the game progresses, so players can always find something new and feel more connected with her. That’s what’s kept her relevant and loved for so long.
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It’s not just the characters that have changed over time, the technology has too. Has the continued development of the smartphone influenced the way you bring My Talking Angela series to life? Rok, can you walk us through how advancements in technology have allowed for better visual and gameplay experiences for My Talking Angela?
Rok – Yeah, if you’re looking at the original Angela games, the stuff we’ve been able to do has grown exponentially because phone technology has improved so much. In the beginning, you had a very simpler game—namely the very first Talking Angela game. The graphics, if we look at them now, seem kind of outdated and basic. Visually, the games have improved drastically. Today, Angela’s world is full of new features and fun minigames. It’s no longer just a tamagotchi-style experience—it’s this vibrant, interactive space where players can explore, play, and connect with Angela in so many new ways. It’s been amazing to see how technology has helped us bring her to life in ways we couldn’t have dreamed of back then.
And in My Talking Angela 2 specifically, being able to do more polished and visually engaging features has been a big part of its success, as newer phones allow us to make stuff look better. Technology has also allowed us to move from a simple talkback feature to more advanced features, something like the Fashion Editor, which is something we couldn’t have done a few years ago. But today, with better technology, we can do things like the Fashion Editor and more.
What are your personal highlights in Angela’s development / journey from one of the gang to a stand-alone star?
Silina – There have been so many milestones in Angela’s journey, but one of my personal highlights is definitely the development of the Fashion Editor, which is available in My Talking Angela 2. This feature is a big deal for us because it lets fans express their own unique style through Angela, whether it’s whimsical, anime-inspired, or even a royalty-like look. For me personally, it was exciting because I’ve always loved fashion, especially Asian styles, and this feature gives fans a chance to get really creative and make Angela their own. Getting it ready was definitely a rewarding challenge. We approached it differently by working closely with the development and art teams right from the start. Normally, our PUG (Product, Game Design, and UX teams) do the groundwork, but we wanted to make sure we ironed out any challenges early on. We tackled big questions about saving outfits, setting limits, and making sure the 3D mannequin rotation was smooth. There were a few nerves along the way, but we worked through it as a team and the process went surprisingly smoothly.
Rok – I’m with Silina on this one—the Fashion Editor really stands out for me too. I remember when I first pitched it to the programmers, they were all like, “No way, not doable!” We had this awesome idea, but there were serious doubts about whether we could actually make it happen. So we knew we needed to bring in some Outfit7 top-tier programmers to the project and get down to the nitty-gritty details. The process wasn’t easy—figuring out how to save clothing options and edit a 3D mannequin was no small feat. But what made it all come together in the end was that collaboration Silina mentioned. From the start, we didn’t just hand off the idea to other teams. We brought developers and artists together, working side-by-side to solve problems as they came up. It really changed the way we work as a team and made us realize that getting this feature right was all about teamwork. Looking back now, seeing the Fashion Editor in action, I can honestly say it’s one of the best feelings in the world. It was tough, but totally worth it, and the response from the players has been amazing.
Could you tell us more about the new Fashion editor and what to expect from it?
Rok – Alright, let me try to get creative here. Imagine you’ve got this coloring book. You’ve got a picture and you fill in the blanks with different colors. That’s usually how fashion editors work in games – you’ve got a set image, and you just color it in. But we wanted to take things up a notch. Instead of a coloring book, picture it more like a sculpture. You’ve got this three-dimensional figure, and instead of just coloring it, you can actually mold it and shape it the way you want. So, let’s say you’ve got a little statue of Angela, and you’ve got this jacket that you want to put on her. With the Fashion Editor, you can actually place that jacket onto the statue, adjust it, and then color it in with different patterns or stickers. You can even add fun details like stars, butterflies or whatever you fancy. And it’s not just about the jacket – you can do the same thing with pants, shoes, hats – you name it. Want to switch things up and put Angela in a dress instead? No problem. Just swap out the clothes on the statue, customize them, and voila! But here’s where it gets really cool – whatever you create in the Fashion Editor isn’t limited to that one feature. Once you’ve designed your outfits, they’re saved in Angela’s wardrobe, and she can wear them throughout the entire game. Mix and match, experiment – it’s all up to you. The Fashion Editor isn’t just about creating clothes; it’s about giving players the freedom to express themselves and make Angela truly their own.
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Is Fashion Editor something fans requested, or is this something that you came up with by yourselves?
Rok: It’s something that we personally wanted to add into the game because it was a really natural progression of existing features. You could already do a lot of customization with Angela, but we saw in how players engaged with other features that they really loved expressing themselves creatively—whether it’s with the painting feature or the cooking feature, where they do similar creative things with food.
So, we wanted to take it to the next level and just merge the fact that players like customizing Angela with the creative aspect of drawing, putting stickers on things, and editing things. We thought this is something that would make sense, so we combined those two concepts, and voilà, the Fashion Editor was born.
I feel like a lot of Angela’s attraction is that her character is distinct from Tom or Hank. She sings, travels, crafts, and seems to lean into more creative activities. Is this something we will continue to see more of?
Silina: When it comes to the Fashion Editor, we’re cooking up some fun new additions—think more models, patterns and colors.. We’ve already got her makeup style and fashion on point, and we’re working on the next big thing that feels like a natural progression from there. Stay tuned—it’s going to add a whole new layer to Angela’s world! We’re planning a pretty big expansion next year, so get ready for some exciting new things coming her way!
What drives the decisions on how to change and explore Angela’s world? Is it technology like AI, or character/audiences that help you make these changes?
Rok – All of the above. Technology definitely sets the limit of what we can do. We don’t see new technologies like, say, GPTs, and think, “Oh, we now want to add AI conversations into Angela”—not yet, at least. More often, we come up with some wild idea, share it with the developers, and they tell us what’s actually feasible with the phones we have today.
Audience feedback is definitely a big part of the process, though. We try to learn from YouTube comments, social media, and other places where players share what they’d like to see. For example, we had to remove the dance feature when we added the Fashion Editor because there wasn’t enough screen space. Some players loved the Fashion Editor, but others missed the dancing, so in the next update, we’re planning a big expansion of My Talking Angela 2’s city and adding dance back into the game, along with other new features.
Are we likely to see more in-game activities to celebrate the 10th Anniversary?
Silina – Yes! Another fun anniversary feature is the Party with a Friend event, which is live in the game until December 19, 2024. When planning My Talking Angela’s 10th anniversary, we realized Angela’s world often feels a bit lonely. Unlike Tom, who has pets and a group of friends, Angela’s adventures have always been solo. So, we decided to bring a friend into her world for this special occasion.
The idea was simple yet meaningful—a birthday party with Tom by Angela’s side. Players can decorate her apartment, decorate a cake, and dress up both Angela and Tom. They can even choose how to wrap up the party with fireworks, a disco, or a piñata. We wanted everyone to feel like they’re co-creating this celebration with Angela, adding their own spark to her world. This isn’t just a party—it’s about building a special memory for Angela and her fans, celebrating the friendship, fun, and creativity that make her story unique.
What are you most excited about for the future of Angela and Outfit7’s mobile games?
Rok: Looking ahead, I’m excited about how we’re using technology to make the games more interactive and immersive for players. The Fashion Editor in My Talking Angela 2 is just the beginning, and I’m sure we’ll have even more surprises up our sleeves as we keep pushing the boundaries of what mobile games can do. Whether it’s expanding the interactive experience or exploring more creative gameplay, we’re going to keep innovating to keep players engaged. For My Talking Angela 2, there’s so much more we can do to make the game even more personal, giving players the chance to further personalise Angela’s world and their relationship with her.
Silina: I couldn’t agree more! What excites me is how we’re continually evolving as a company. We’re always exploring new ways to make our games more fun and meaningful for players, and I’m excited to see how we expand Angela’s world and her personality. Whether that’s through new gameplay features, richer player interactions, or new characters that complement Angela’s journey, the future looks really exciting. We’re just getting started!
The new fashion editor update to My Talking Angela was announced just yesterday as part of the month-long celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of My Talking Angela. It brins a whole new activity where players can customize any item of clothing, form headwear, clothes, footwear and more. Around a 360 degree view, you’ll be able to pick a piece, select base colors, patterns, and lengths; apply them directly to the 3D outfit. Save the fits to your wardrobe, pick and chose the best look for the day and head out to spend the day looking your best self. My Talking Angela 2 is available now for free on iOS and Android. Find out more on the official website now.
