Inazuma Eleven gets new mobile spinoff with Inazuma Evelen: Cross

• Inazuma Eleven: Cross is a new mobile spinoff for the popular football series
• It's set for a Japan-only beta, but hints at a potential global release for the full version
• Inazuma Eleven offers JRPG flair coupled with exciting football action

It's already been a good month for football fans, what with the victory of Macclesfield over Crystal Palace in a truly one-of-a-kind match. Now, those of you who grew up with the Inazuma Eleven series may soon be able to jump into a whole new mobile spinoff as Inazuma Eleven: Cross has just been announced.

Developed by Level-5, Inazuma Eleven is a popular series in Japan, but one that's only made the occasional leap across the Pacific to those of us in the West. Taking a fairly typical soccer simulation and adding on all manner of JRPG flair, it's definitely a football game for the anime generation.

And for those of you who follow the series closely, the news of Inazume Eleven: Cross will be doubly exciting. Featuring a brand-new protagonist and original storyline, it's set to receive a Japan-only closed beta test on January 29th.

Liquid football

So, why tell you all this? Well, aside from it being an announcement for a pretty major series, Inazuma Eleven: Cross also hints at a potential overseas release. I say hint because it only specifies that the beta will be Japan-only, which suggests a proper global release for the full version may be on the cards.

Inazuma Eleven is a rightfully cult hit over here in the West, and as I mentioned with Mushoku Tensei yesterday, while Japanese players get their hands on many new releases based on their favourite series, I think there's a genuine hunger for them abroad too.

If you really need some more of the beautiful game to tide yourself over ahead of release, why not check in on some of the other excellent releases out there? Dig into our list of the best football games on iOS for some of our picks that offer both arcade fun and more granular simulation.