Charles Martinet Steps Back from Voicing Mario

Nintendo announced that Charles Martinet will be stepping down from the Super Mario franchise. The veteran voice actor will no longer be the iconic voice of Nintendo’s mascot. Instead, he will be moving into a new role of Mario Ambassador.

Nintendo made the announcement via social media, confirming that he will not be providing voice work for the Super Mario games going forward. Instead, he will be given the title of Mario Ambassador, which will likely be a more promotional role, with convention appearances and similar activities. Martinet and Shigeru Miyamoto will be recording a video message as his send-off, which will be released at a future date.

Here’s the full statement regarding the change in the role Charles Martinet will play related to the Super Mario series.

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 first voiced Mario in Super Mario 64, where he gave the character his iconic “wahoo” and other phrases. Since then, he has voiced Nintendo’s mascot in every game he’s appeared in. As a result, Martinet holds the Guinness World Record for Most Video Game Voiceover Performances as the Same Character, with 104 appearances as of Super Mario Maker 2. Martinet is also the voice of Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi across the franchise.

Nintendo did not announced who will voice Mario in future games. The Super Mario Bros Movie saw Chris Pratt as the voice of the character, with Martinet making a cameo appearance. It’s unknown if Martinet has recorded voice work for the upcoming Mario title, Super Mario Bros Wonder.