Charles Martinet to retire from voicing Mario after over 30 years, becomes Mario Ambassador

[Tedhaun]

Link to MyNintendoNews' article regarding the whole thing: https://mynintendonews.com/2023/08/21/c ... ing-mario/
Original tweet from Nintendo of America's Twitter: https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/sta ... 2982314108

From 1991 to 2023, renowned voice actor Charles Martinet steps down as the voice of Nintendo mascot and beloved video game icon Mario (and by extension Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi) and now gains the new role of Mario Ambassador. Martinet has been voicing Mario ever since Mario in Real Time, an interactive system used by Nintendo for various events and promotions, all the way back in 1991 and voiced Mario ever since until recently. It has just been confirmed that Martinet will not be voicing Mario and Luigi in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder and not voicing Wario in WarioWare: Move It!, coming later this fall for the Nintendo Switch. It is also stated that Martinet's voice will appear in the upcoming HD remaster of Nintendo 3DS classic Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, releasing sometime in 2024 for the Nintendo Switch.

The new official voice of Mario (for the games) has yet to be revealed. More details will follow in a video message featuring now Mario Ambassador Charles Martinet and Super Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto at a later date (assumingly in a future Nintendo Direct).

Will you miss having Martinet voice Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in the games? Do you think that Chris Pratt and any of the other voice talent from Illumination's Super Mario Bros. Movie will step in to voice Mario and the rest in future Mario games or will it be someone else?

P.S.: I also don't know if Martinet still continues to voice The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Paarthurnax or has stepped down from voicing him too?

[Tiger21820]

A salute of to our beloved Martinet...

[Demon_skeith]

The man is forever immortalized among some great classic mario games, he will enter people's lives for generations!

[Lyn]

Indeed.

[Artisan]

He was so iconic and memorable. But like all good things, there's a place for it to respectfully end. Curious how the new voices will do.

[Tedhaun]

Unfortunately agreed with the above post. Like how the following VAs can't/couldn't voice their respective characters forever:

• The late June Foray voicing Sylvester and Tweety's Granny
• Frank Welker voicing Freddy Jones and later Scooby-Doo himself
• Dan Castellaneta voicing Homer Simpson
• Makiko Ohmoto voicing Kirby himself
• Ikue Otani voicing Pikachu
• Sakura Tange voicing Sakura Kinomoto
• Tom Kenny voicing SpongeBob SquarePants himself
• ...and so on

I know it's a deal breaker when it happens, but no one's immortal. It's also beyond the point.

I also wish the new voice actor (name withheld until Super Mario Bros. Wonder gets released) for Mario (and also Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi if possible) the best of luck with his new job.

[Demon_skeith]

Well the game has leaked online, so the voice actor is known now.