The Japanese game company has announced that Mario will no longer voice the Nintendo character, having been in the role for 27 years.
Charles Martinet, aged 67, was the first to lend his voice to the Italian plumber in Super Mario 64’s 1996 installment and also contributed to other game-related voices like Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi.
Nintendo announced on Twitter on Monday that Charles will be transitioning to the role of Mario ambassador, renaming him X and sharing his love for the game with everyone.
Charles has been a valuable asset to Mario’s development for many years, and we are grateful for his contribution.
Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles himself have sent a special video message, which will be posted later.
Martinet penned down his new adventure, saying: “My heart has opened up for you all, Numba One!”
My new adventure commences on August 21, 2023, with the Numba One in my heart! #woohoo!!!!!!! https://t.co/YewlnXt Charles Martinet (@charlesMartine)
The announcement was made after fans speculated online that the American actor had been replaced by a different character, Mario, in the forthcoming Super Mario Bros Wonder game. Martinet has since confirmed that he won’t voice Mario in this role, but it remains unclear who the new voiceover artist will be.
According to Martinet, he created the voice of Petruchio in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew.
During a 2021 game convention, he expressed his desire to voice Mario until remorse. If deemed unintelligent, the speaker would suggest Nintendo look into finding another person.
The Super Mario Bros Movie released in 2023 did not feature Martinet as the voice of Mario, while Chris Pratt acted as Luigi in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Martinetti was responsible for two minor characters, including the brothers’ father, and the movie grossed over $1.357bn (£1.06bnd, A$2.11bl) worldwide, making it the top-grossing video game adaptation of all time.
Martinet has provided voiceover credits for several games, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time.