Nintendo announced that Charles Martinet, the original voice of Mario, is stepping down and becoming the “Mario Ambassador.” Martinet’s replacement in Mario’s voice and the timing of this change are unknown.
Nintendo confirms that a video message from Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario’s creator, will be posted soon to thank Martinet and celebrate their partnership.
Nintendo of America posted an image on Twitter/X with the words: “Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games for a long time, as far back as Super Mario 64. Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador. With this transition, he 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! It has been an honor 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 and Charles himself, which we will post at a future date.“
See the post below.
Martinet responds to the announcement that he will no longer be voicing Mario in future Nintendo games: “My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!!!!”
Martinet has been voicing Mario since the mid-1990s and has lent his voice to various other characters in the Mario franchise, such as Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and others. Martinet’s cheerful and energetic voice has become synonymous with the Mario series and is instantly recognizable to gamers worldwide. Martinet has also provided voices for other video game characters and worked on various projects in the entertainment industry.
