It’s a bit of a strange situation: while Charles Martinet’s work is still in demand at Nintendo, the Japanese company hasn’t told him what he’ll be doing!

Nintendo’s US subsidiary recently announced on Twitter that Charles Martinet will no longer be the official voice of Mario. Martinet had held this role for 27 years (!). The big N didn’t want to let him go after all that time, so his new assignment is as Mario’s ambassador, a brand new position. However, NintendoEverything has pointed out that Martinet spoke at Galaxycon Austin 2023 and has yet to be informed by the Japanese company of precisely what he’ll be doing!

“I am now a Mario Ambassador. I don’t know what that is yet. I’m not retired, as it were, but I’m an ambassador. As we step forward into the future, we’ll all learn exactly what that is … I’m always an ambassador of Nintendo and Mario at these events because I just cherish every moment,” Martinet said. Has Nintendo not had time to tell him what he should do?

The situation is further complicated by what Nintendo’s US president, Doug Bowser, told IGN: “Well, Charles has been a voice actor with us for quite some time, and as we look for ways to keep Charles involved in Nintendo’s business, we thought this was a very nice transition for him. And Charles is very excited about it … we look forward to having him continue to represent Nintendo and, importantly, the Mushroom Kingdom as we progress.”

We’re not criticizing Nintendo this time, but it’s baffling that after two and a half decades of voice-acting work, the Japanese company couldn’t figure out how to treat Martinet. Perhaps they could have taken a little time to do so because Charles Martinet deserves it, as it is safe to say that generations have grown up with his voice!

Source: PCGamer