Outfit7, maker of the ‘Talking Tom and Friends’ apps, was acquired by a consortium of investors from Asia for $1 billion.

Talking Tom is a cartoon cat introduced originally in 2010, which repeats user inputs in a comic, cat-like voice. It has seen significant success, and the company has launched several related apps since, including virtual pet My Talking Tom.

The Talking Tom and Friends apps have more than 5.6 billion downloads since launch, and over 300 million active monthly users.

Outfit7’s portfolio also includes animated series and web shorts, a global licensing and merchandising programme and a YouTube channel.

All Outfit7 employees across companies in the UK, Slovenia, China and Cyprus are continuing to grow the brand, the statement added.

The Asian consortium is represented by United Luck Group Holdings. Goldman Sachs served as exclusive financial advisor to Outfit7 and its shareholders.