Charles Martinet, Shigeru Miyamoto share joint video about new Mario voices, no explanation given for Charles' departure
Well...that was unsatisfying
Back when Nintendo announced that Charles Martinet was no longer going to be voicing Mario characters, they also noted that Charles and Shigeru Miyamoto would be appearing in a video that discussed the decision. Today, that video has been released and you can see it above.
The video focuses on Charles sharing his love and appreciation with fans, along with the fun times he had voicing Mario, Luigi and others. Miyamoto also talks about the many times he met Charles, some of the fond memories he has, and shares thanks with Charles for bringing Nintendo’s characters to life.
If you were hoping to get more insight into why Charles will no longer be voicing Mario and the others, you’re going to be disappointed. We get absolutely zero insight into the decision, leaving us to continue wondering why this is happening in the first place. Hopefully we get a bit more information sometime in the near future.
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d_says_hi
11M agoI doubt we'll get an official reason from Nintendo. I will miss Charles though :(
hawk
11M agoMaybe it's as simple as he's ready to retire and take it easy, but he still wants to occasionally go to Nintendo events and meet fans.
Regardless, I hope he enjoys his new role.
Maybe, though I wonder why he wouldn't be able to just say that. It really does feel to me like circumstances out of his control caused him to leave the role. I could definitely be wrong, but it just seems fishy considering he recently said he wanted to play the character till he died.
Many who retire do wish they could keep going, but sometimes personal matters/health dictate a retirement. Charles still appears healthy, so I don't think he's retiring from voice acting because of health.
We'll never know the true reason since Nintendo employees have strict NDAs levied on them, but I don't believe Nintendo fired him or "kicked him upstairs". It could be a simple as Charles wanting to do something else, but still do fan meetups as time/money/health allow.
People who love their jobs are still susceptible to burn out and could become resentful to their jobs over time without a significant break or a significant change. Charles is no exception to this.
Who knows. If Nintendo ever had need of an elderly Mario some day and Charles is still kicking, he could voice an elderly Mario for fun.
jake_a
11M agoAs long as Martinet is happy, I don't really mind his retirement. I hope he writes a book about all this in the future though.
prosscct
11M agoThe recent comment that Nintendo is becoming a "media company" tells me that the Hollywood people involved in this may have had some say. Then again, Martinet also looks significantly more disheveled than usual, so maybe there's more to the story. I still think he will do better ultimately by selling signed posters, t-shirts, and memorabilia for a massive premium without Nintendo taking a cut than working for a few days' pay at Nintendo, but I guess he was already doing that and the voice work. Sad to see the change as a fan--it kind of feels like Nintendo is becoming less "home spun." I hope Martinet picks up another gig somewhere else in the voice industry.
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