Charles Martinet Transitions from Voicing Mario to Becoming 'Mario Ambassador'.
The Nintendo company announced in a tweet that Martinet would be leaving voice acting behind to take on the new position of "Mario Ambassador."
Nintendo formally announced Martinet's decision to transition from voicing Mario to taking on the role of 'Mario Ambassador'. The tweet stated, "Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games for a long time, as far back as Super Mario 64."
With this evolution, Martinet will step back from his voice-acting responsibilities for Nintendo's game characters. "Charles has taken on the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador. He will no longer be recording character voices for our games as a result of this move, but he will continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and communicating with you all!
Speculation about Martinet's future as Mario started swirling within the gaming community earlier in the year, particularly following the announcement of a slew of upcoming Mario-themed titles, including "Super Mario Bros Wonder" and "WarioWare: Move It". Devotees were quick to point out that soundbites from these trailers sounded slightly different from Martinet's usual portrayal.
Charles Martinet's association with the Mario franchise dates back to its three-dimensional debut in 1996 with "Super Mario 64". Both trailers featured soundbites from characters normally played by Martinet, but some thought they didn't quite sound like him, to the point where 'Charles Martinet' was one of the popular topics on Twitter following the announcements.
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
While Chris Pratt is a prominent Hollywood figure, fans of Martinet's rendition expressed concerns about maintaining the character's authenticity. The controversy over Chris Pratt's choice to play Mario and limit Martinet to cameo parts in The Super Mario Bros. Movie may have sped up the decision.
Martinet, who used to write on Twitter rather frequently, didn't post anything between March and July, which may have contributed to the controversy surrounding Mario's voice in the games.
Martinet broke his silence by tweeting the news about Nintendo and writing: "My new adventure begins! In my heart, you're all Numba One.
For someone who was known to be fairly active on platforms like Twitter, this silence fueled rumors about his ongoing involvement with the Mario franchise.