Mario No Longer Voiced By Longtime Actor Charles Martinet--Including In Mario Wonder

gamespot.com:

Martinet is «stepping back» from voicing Mario and transitioning into a new role.

By Chris Pereira and Eddie Makuch on

For decades, Charles Martinet voiced the iconic video game character Mario in Nintendo's popular series, but those days are now over. Nintendo has announced that Martinet, who rose to a new level of fame with 1996's Super Mario 64, is transitioning into the role of «Mario Ambassador.» The company also confirmed with GameSpot that Martinet will not voice the character in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

In its initial statement, Nintendo said Martinet will be «stepping back from recording character voices for our games.» However, Martinet will «continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all.» Notably absent from that statement was any indication about Martinet's involvement with this year's big new Mario game.

When asked about whether Martinet would voice Mario in the upcoming Mario Wonder, Nintendo told GameSpot, «While Charles is not involved in the game, we're excited to honor his legacy and contributions, including looking ahead to what he'll be doing as a Mario Ambassador.» This had previously been a topic of some discussion, as the game's reveal led some fans to wonder if Martinet had been replaced, due to subtle changes in the performance.

As for who will now voice Mario (or the many others typically voiced by Martinet), Nintendo said, «Character voice actors will be credited in the game credits, so please wait for the game to be released.»

Nintendo also stated that it will have a «special video message» to share from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Martinet to come «at a future date.» It added, «It has been an honor working with Charles to help bring Mario