Nintendo has confirmed that Charles Martinet, the original voice actor of Mario who has played the character since 1991, will be “stepping back from recording character voices for our games” and will now serve as a “Mario Ambassador.”
Nintendo shared the news on Twitter/X, saying fans can also expect a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Martinet to arrive at a later date.
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023
“Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games for a long time, as far back as Super Mario 64,” Nintendo wrote. “Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador. With this transition, he will be stepping back from rrecording 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.”
Martinet quote tweeted Nintendo’s post, saying, “My new adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!!!!!”
Martinet won the job for Mario after a friend told him there was an audition at a tradeshow where he’d need to “talk to people as a plumber.” He obviously won the job, and first voiced Mario at tradeshows for a 3D version of the character that was meant to be able to converse with attendees.
His first video game appearance as Mario was in 1994’s Mario Teaches Typing, but many came to know and love him in 1996’s Super Mario 64. He would continue to not only voice Mario for Nintendo, but also Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Metal Mario, Shadow Mario, Baby Mario, and more.
Back in 2021, Martinet said he wants to “voice Mario until I drop dead.” While that dream appears to be over, it’s reassuring to know he will still be spreading joy and happiness across the world with that iconic voice.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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