Charles Martinet and Shigeru Miyamoto have explained Martinet’s new role as ‘Mario Ambassador’.
22.08.2023 - 11:29 / pcgamer.com / Chris Pratt / Mario
Charles Martinet has been the voice of Nintendo's mascot Mario since 1996, but no more. Nintendo has announced that the actor is to step down from the role, and will instead act as a «Mario ambassador» in the future, which is all rather ceremonial and full of pomp for a gig that mainly involves shouting «wa-hoo!»
Martinet has been the voice of Mario since 1996, and his first role is probably what sealed the deal: Super Mario 64. Arguably the most accomplished and polished 3D title of its era, part of the game's appeal was its characterful and fun reinvention of Mario himself, with the «let's a-go» accompanying each star selection burned into the brain of any '90s gamer. Martinet would go on to voice Mario across a wide range of titles, with Nintendo's plumber never short of side-gigs, including the Mario Kart and Mario Party series.
The news comes after this year's Super Mario Bros. movie, which featured Chris Pratt as the main character's voice actor and a performance that was less of an Italian-American caricature (Martinet played Mario's dad in the film). Perhaps more notable was the announcement of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the next mainline entry in the platforming games, the trailer for which features an unnamed Mario voice actor that is not Martinet.
Nintendo says the 67 year-old Martinet «will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he'll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all!
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTOAugust 21, 2023
»It has been an honour working with Charles to help bring Mario to life for so many years and we want to thank and celebrate him. Please keep an eye out for a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Mario) and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date."
Martinet has also provided the voices for other characters in the Mario series, including Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and the baby versions of characters. It's easy to be sniffy about Martinet and the over-the-top nature of his work, but it's inarguable that he created a sense of fun and enthusiasm in a character that can otherwise be regarded as a cipher. Mario means fun, and part of that fun is the exuberance and joy the character expresses as the player throws him around Nintendo's wonderlands.
«My new Adventure begins,» wrote Martinet on social media. «You are all Numba One in my heart!» adding the hashtag «woohoo!!!!!!!» More poignantly, his last major contribution to the series comes at the end of the Mario movie as Mario and Luigi's father, pointing at the pair and declaring «These are my boys.»
Charles Martinet and Shigeru Miyamoto have explained Martinet’s new role as ‘Mario Ambassador’.
With the likes of Mortal Kombat 1, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and many others still in the pipeline, 2023 has plenty more major releases for players to look forward to. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, of course, high on that list as well, and following its recent gameplay blowout via a dedicated Direct presentation, the excitement surrounding the 2D sidescrolling platformer is seemingly mounting.
Nintendo of America recently announced that Charles Martinet would be hanging up his cap as the voice of Mario, a role he's occupied the goomba-stomping boots of since 1996. Nintendo of America announced the transition via a post on Twitter/X last month, revealing he'd be «moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador.»
It was a surprise to fans worldwide when we discovered that the iconic character, Mario, would receive a new voice actor. Nintendo’s flagship character had been voiced for decades by Charles Martinet. This actor has been offering his talents to Nintendo to give Mario those iconic phrases fans have become familiar with. But after his lengthy run, it looks like Charles was ready to hang up his cap and pass the torch. Unfortunately, we’re not sure just who that torch has been passed on to.
We may have heard Mario and Luigi’s new voices in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but Nintendo will not be confirming who is voicing them until the game’s release, according to Nintendo president Doug Bowser.
We won't find out who the new voice of Mario is until the credits of Super Mario Bros. Wonder roll.
Nintendo has announced the new Mario Red Edition Nintendo Switch OLED console, and it's going to be available on October 6, 2023. Pre-orders are available now through Nintendo directly with a price of $349.99.
Nintendo continues to go from strength to strength with each passing year. The Japanese video game company's most recent console, the Nintendo Switch, has become a popular choice for gamers, even though it is significantly underpowered in comparison to Sony and Microsoft's consoles. However, this hasn't stopped its sales, as it recently surpassed the sales of Nintendo's previous best-selling console in the US, the Wii. The launch of Nintendo's latest exclusive, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has given a major boost to the console's popularity.
Charles Martinet, the original voice actor of Mario, is retiring after 27 years and and will now serve as a «Mario Ambassador», Nintendo has confirmed.
The Mario franchise has been around for a long time, and Charles Martinet, who voices the plumber, is just as iconic. That’s coming to an end with Nintendo announcing that Martinet is stepping back from recording character voices for its titles.
Nintendo has revealed that Charles Martinet, the original voice actor for Nintendo’s iconic character, is stepping back from the role.
Charles Martinet, the iconic voice of Mario and several of Nintendo’s other biggest characters, will no longer be the voice of the world-famous plumber and will be moving into a new role at the company.