The president of Nintendo of America has opened up about why so much mystery surrounded the new voice of Mario.
In a recent interview with Wired, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser revealed the decision behind keeping the new voice of Mario a secret for so long. Earlier this year, Nintendo announced that the long-time voice of the heroic plumber, Charles Martinet, would no longer act as Mario, and instead be the sole ambassador for the iconic Nintendo game. Ahead of the brand-new Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Nintendo decided not to address the new voice actor until shortly before the Switch game’s release.
Just one week before Super Mario Bros. Wonder dropped, voice acting veteran Kevin Afghani tweeted, “Incredibly proud to have voiced Mario and Luigi in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.” Regarding why Afghani’s involvement was kept under wraps, Bowser stated, “We want people to enjoy the gameplay experience, and if they enjoyed the voice behind the gameplay experience, that’s what’s most important to us, not necessarily highlighting [Mario’s actor].”
Afghani Succeeds Martinet as Mario With Grace
Martinet’s role as Mario truly cannot be overstated, first fulfilling the role in Mario Teaches Typing in 1994, and then more recognizably in Super Mario 64 in 1996. From that point on, Martinet was both the beloved voice actor for one of video games’ biggest characters in history as well as a major figure in the press and promotion of Mario. Although some fans were upset upon hearing that Martinet would not be playing his title character in the box office smash hit The Super Mario Bros. Movie (that role instead went to Hollywood A-lister Chris Pratt), Martinet was still given the opportunity to voice a couple of small cameos in the film as a nod of appreciation.
Afghani’s body of work in voice acting is hard to compare to Martinet’s; the latter has essentially dedicated his entire career to playing the icon of an entire industry. That being said, Afghani is by no means a rookie, and his credits include work on Genshin Impact and Dragon Ball R&R. Nintendo has placed its faith in Afghani to properly represent and respect the role of Mario, and with the incredible success of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it’s safe to say that Afghani is gracefully filling the large shoes set before him when Martinet departed.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is now available in stores and for download on the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Wired
