The message from the creators also includes safety advice for gamers in Japan.

The two companies behind the Pokémon Go augmented reality mobile game released a video addressed to the Japanese public to coincide with the long-awaited release of the game in its ancestral homeland. Junichi Masuda, general manager of Game Freak, the video game development company responsible for the Pokémon series of role-playing video games, and John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, the American company specialising in augmented reality mobile games, sat side by side as they addressed viewers in both English and Japanese.

▼ Check out the video in full below.

With no subtitles included for Masuda’s comments in Japanese, the video from the two creators is clearly directed at Japanese players of Pokémon Go. In fact, the video opens with Masuda apologising to people in Japan for making them wait such a long time to play the game. He then continues with a smile, saying that the game can now be played in the country.

Hanke then expresses Niantic’s desire to stay “true to the spirit of the original Pokémon game”, while reminding people to “keep your head up, look around…and be safe”. Masuda concludes the message by letting everyone know that they can set out in search of Pokémon from today, and expresses his hope that the game will enrich everyone’s lives and encourage them to see their everyday world in a new light. He ends by saying “Stick to the rules and have fun”.

Public safety and the importance of abiding by common-sense rules while playing the game are being taken very seriously by the Japanese government, following reports of injuries and problems overseas. To check out the government’s safety campaign, released specifically for Pokémon Go players in Japan, be sure to check out the article here. Stay safe and happy gaming everyone!

Source: My Game News Flash

Top Image: YouTube/Pokémon Go Japan

Screenshots: YouTube/Pokémon Go Japan