Mario’s iconic voice actor, Charles Martinet, has officially stepped away from the role. Martinet has been the voice behind the staple Nintendo character since 1994, and had been the only voice for Mario up until the Super Mario Bros. Movie, where the plumbing hero was voiced by Chris Pratt.
In a statement posted to the official Nintendo of America Twitter account, the company announces Martinet’s resignation from the role but also how he will continue to contribute to the character in the future.
“Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador,” reads the Twitter post. “With this transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he’ll continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario and interacting with you all!”
The post goes on to inform that Martinet and Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, will have a “special video message” for fans to look out for, most likely regarding what’s next for Mario and Martinet.
Although Martinet may be stepping away from the part, the Mario character is still alive and kicking, as the next Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is set to release on October 20. As for whether or not Martinet will be voicing the character in this iteration, it remains to be seen, though this news does put some weight to the suspicions some fans had about Mario’s voice sounding different in the Super Mario Bros. Wonder trailer.
For more news about Mario, check out these four new Mario games coming to the Nintendo Switch.