Nintendo has shared a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the iconic Mario, and Charles Martinet, the ultra-recognisable voice behind the character for nearly 30 years, after it was announced a couple of weeks ago that Martinet would no longer be voicing the role.
The heartfelt video both commemorates Martinet’s work and gives Miyamoto the opportunity to publicly thank the actor for giving voice to Mario (and many others) for literal decades, as well as shedding a little more light on Martinet’s responsibilities and upcoming activities in his new role of Mario Ambassador.
Martinet explains that, in the brand-new role, he’ll get to continue travelling and meeting with fans, spreading the joy of the franchise at events around the world in the years to come.
“The very first time you voiced Mario in a Super Mario game was Super Mario 64 back in 1996!” Miyamato exclaims, “Whenever we’d meet, you would always call me ‘Papa!’ and I also remember filming PR videos together.”
“You have travelled the world visiting events, joyfully performing the voice of Mario for fans and putting smiles on people’s faces. You always place a priority on spready joy, and I am sure that YOU will be a great Mario Ambassador.”
Watch the message in full below:
Here’s a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles Martinet regarding the change of Mario’s voice actor, announced on 8/21. pic.twitter.com/4mOpD2Cx3a
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 7, 2023
Miyamoto notes that, as of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the voices of “some Mario characters” will have changed, stopping short of actually divulging any further information around the new voice talent.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder releases on October 20th exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Amazon has pre-orders of the game for $69 with free shipping.
