It’s-a me Mario! Stepping back… 🎮

Nintendo announced on 21st August that after 27 years, Charles Martinet is stepping down as the voice of Mario with a heartfelt message to “fans of the mushroom kingdom” stating that he will be stepping back his role as voice actor for Mario but will continue to spread joy through becoming the characters ambassador . His recognisable voice transcends generations bringing all ages together.

While Martinet appeared in some earlier games (Super Mario Bros. Pinball, Mario Teaches Typing, Mario's Game Gallery), his first prominent role as the heroic mustached plumber wasn’t until the 1996's Super Mario 64, and ever since then he maintained the role of Mario in games until 2023, even making an appearance as Mario's father in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released the same year.

As well as Mario, Martinet lent his voice to many other characters across the series, but most notably Mario's brother Luigi, and their rivals Wario and Waluigi. He was truly dedicated to his role, and in 2018, he was acknowledged in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the first voice actor to play the same role in one hundred games.

He became a prominent and well loved gaming personality through his years as Mario and his impact on the gaming world is noticeable with this news marking the end of an era. As Mario continues to evolve in years to come, fans will hold onto the memories and have a sense of nostalgia and Martinet’s joyous portrayal. His impact will however continue on now with the new adventures that await him as ‘Mario Ambassador’ and although it is still unclear what the role will bring for Martinet, he will still get to play a major part in the video game series he helped grow for over three decades and bring joy to the fans, old and new in a different way.

Martinet reposted the tweet with his own statement: "My new Adventure begins! You are all Numba One in my heart! #woohoo !!!!!!!", bringing us that charm all Mario fans admire. At the end, a new special video message was teased to be posted in the future with Charles Martinet and the creator of the Mario franchise, Shigeru Miyamoto so keep a look out on Nintendo's social media!👀