Breath of Fire VI announced for tablets, smartphones, and browsers

The Breath of Fire franchise has been a favourite of hardcore JRPG fans since its debut 20 years ago - and now, after an 11 year hiatus, it's ready to make its tablet and smartphone debut with Breath of Fire VI.

Details on the upcoming title are still sparse, but a thread on Neogaf translated an announcement by Capcom which identifies Breath of Fire VI as an online, touch-based RPG launching in 2014.

Capcom's decision to release Breath of Fire VI for tablets and smartphones marks the first time that a major Japanese roleplaying game franchise has chosen to release a new, mainline installment specifically for mobile devices.

While the Breath of Fire fan community's reaction to the announcement has been overwhelmingly negative so far, the transition from a console RPG to a smartphone and tablet game isn't as strange as it sounds.

Breath of Fire has a history of mobile phone releases in Japan, although these games were mostly branded spin-offs and were not full, standalone installments.

The last numbered game in the series, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter - originally released as Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter - came out for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2002, and came to North America and Europe the following year.

We'll keep you updated with updates on Breath of Fire VI - including any news relating to a western release - as soon as it becomes available.