Nintendo's Super Mario Character Loses His Iconic Voice Of 27 Years

The iconic voice of Mario since the days of Super Mario 64 is coming to an end. Charles Martinet announced he will be stepping down from voicing Mario and taking on a new role with the company as Mario Ambassador.

Issa not Mario anymore, Martinet sadly shared on his X account yesterday. The voice actor confirmed the news and shared that a new adventure was beginning for him. Martinet has voiced Mario for titles as far back as the Nintendo 64 days, as well as for Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Galaxy, and a vast number of spinoffs.

Nintendo also shared the news via its X account, remarking, "We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look."

The included announcement shared that it has been an honor working with Charles over the years and that the company wanted to thank and celebrate him for his role in bringing Mario to life for so many fans. It also added that there will be a special video message from Shigeru Miyamoto and Martinet in the near future.

Fans of Mario had noticed that the voice of the beloved character sounded a bit different in promo material for the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder game, which is slated to launch in October of this year. Nintendo confirmed that it was indeed not Martinet's voice and that he would not be involved in the game.

Martinet is an actor and writer, but is best known for his role as the voice of Mario. Outside of Mario, he has also voiced Luigi, Wario, Walugi, Toadsworth, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi, according to IMBD. He originally wanted to be in law school and had no interest in voice acting due to his fear of public speaking. Then one of his friends somehow convinced him to drop out of Law School and pursue a career in voice acting. The world is grateful for that friend.

When Martinet auditioned for the role of Mario, he was going to perform the voice in a heavy Brooklyn accent. He decided to go with a more heartwarming and sweeter voice that would appeal to children, and the rest is history.

"I've always looked up to Mel Blanc growing up," Martinet once remarked. "I always thought that he was just the greatest voice actor ever, and what a thrill for him to just be given a blank slate and told to create the world of animation voice-overs. He was a true genius."

HotHardware, and countless fans around the world, would like to thank Charles Martinet for his contributions to so many childhoods. His gift of Mario's epic voice will forever live in the hearts and minds forever.