As we originally discussed here, Nintendo and Charles Martinet made the announcement that Martinet, who has been the voice of Mario for many years, would no longer be providing the voice but instead would be taking on the job of "Mario Ambassador," essentially traveling the world and sharing the charismatic joy of Mario with fans everywhere. It was announced at the time that a one-of-a-kind video message would be distributed, in which Martinet and Shigeru Miyamoto, the inventor of Mario, would appear, and today, that message officially launched on Nintendo of America's official Twitter account!
Watch it for yourself down below, and leave your thoughts in the comments!
During the video, Miyamoto recalled the time the two of them spent together in Kyoto while he and Martinet thanked fans for their support over the years on the official Nintendo Twitter account.
Here's a little history about Martinet and Mario's journey together over the years:
Since 1991, Martinet has provided the voice of Mario in a variety of roles. It was in 1996 when Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 was released, which marked the beginning of his breakthrough performance with the character. In addition, he has done voice work for other characters in the Super Mario world, including Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, amongst others.
So who is the new voice of Mario?
Following the announcement made by Miyamoto in the Twitter video, the first time that Mario's updated voice acting will be heard will be in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which will be available for the Nintendo Switch on October 20. According to The Verge, the person behind the new voice of Mario will not be publicly revealed until Super Mario Bros. Wonder rolls its credits when it is premiered later this year! Talk about suspense.
Although the voice is of course going to be Mario-sounding (we'll coin that a phrase), Nintendo of America's president, Dough Bowser, says “I think people have recognized this when they see Super Mario Bros. Wonder, they’ll hear a different voice”. That's about all of the information we have so far, so the suspense will just continue to build until the premiere!
What are your thoughts on Martinet's new role as Mario Ambassador for Nintendo? Who do you think will be the new voice of Mario? Drop your guesses down below!