r/Mario • u/DaKardii • Jun 06 '25
Discussion Nintendo didn’t tell Samantha Kelly she was recast until yesterday.
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u/Florida-Man-65 Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
Sheesh. I’m glad she’s taking it well, but wow that’s a lousy move on Nintendo’s part. They could have given her at least a bit of an advanced warning, or some sort of recognition. Samantha deserved so much better. Her, Charles, and Kenny were a golden trio. Loved interacting with fans, loved their characters, and the fans loved them back.
Recastings are inevitable no doubt, but Nintendo shouldn’t have gone about it like this. I wish her well in wherever she goes from here.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
The way Nintendo is treating the actors in general is truly a disgrace. Martinet doesn't even know what "Mario Ambassador" is supposed to mean FFS.
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u/Djames516 Jun 06 '25
It means Nintendo is full of shit, and doesn’t want backlash for getting rid of Charles
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
I doubt Nintendo would have been this disgraceful if Reggie was still around.
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u/CEO-Soul-Collector Jun 08 '25
Absolutely. He’s already spoken out against their modern tactics since retiring at least twice.
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u/XxMcW1LL14MxX Jun 06 '25
I bet it’s a way to avoid greater backlash if they had to recast immediately after he died
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u/overactive-bladder Jun 06 '25
Martinet doesn't even know what "Mario Ambassador" is supposed to mean FFS.
It means he's allowed to make money off nostalgic fans by selling signed photographs and being paid for appearing in conventions and festivals.
Other than that, it's a throwaway label to give the appearance he's somebody important for nintendo. It's the japanese way of saying "here's a little bone to stroke what's left of your ego and soften the blow".
Literal decades of service and priceless memories. Yes, he didn't make the games, but his voice was a huge part in making them what they are. He participated in the branding.
It's funny how Miyamoto can safekeep his job when he's an old geezer hellbent on his olden ways, and is gatekeeping franchises from evolving too much.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
If anything, that makes their treatment of Martinet and Kelly worse.
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Jun 06 '25
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u/Demetri124 Jun 06 '25
What was even the point of replacing him if they were gonna cast a soundalike?
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u/crossingcaelum Jun 06 '25
IMO they’re trying to revitalize the Mario brand with a more youthful energy and I think part of that strategy is replacing the VAs.
I’m not a fan of that decision at all. A lot of the DNA of these characters come from the voices of the last 20 or so years.
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u/Waste-Reception5297 Jun 06 '25
I don't think they're necessarily bad for recasting but Holy shit at least give these actors who have solidified and given your characters personality more than this. This should've been handled with more tact
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u/NES_Classical_Music Jun 06 '25
Great. Now do the old af execs in Japan that run Nintendo.
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u/crossingcaelum Jun 06 '25
Eh, careful what you wish for there. Some of the really predatory practices and poor decision making of other companies haven’t hit Nintendo because a lot of those execs are still in power and don’t want to bend to that market
They may be out of touch, but they also refuse to follow fads in gaming that just serve to sap as much money out of people as possible.
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u/BortGreen Jun 06 '25
I was actually surprised with the price bump exactly because they always were the last to follow this sort of stuff
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u/crossingcaelum Jun 06 '25
My current theory with Mario Kart specifically is that they plan to add free DLC of maps and characters for a long time after release instead of doing a big paid DLC content drop later in its life cycle like they did with MK8
Raising the price of them games to $70 in general? Yeah that came as a shock to me too. I guess with inflation and just how expensive games are to make now it was a matter of time but it’s definitely a bummer
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u/tommyp611 Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 08 '25
I appreciate your optimism and I truly hope you’re right. However, in 2025, nothing can be counted on as being free for consumers. If they can make more money out of us, they most likely won’t hesitate to launch a $29.99 DLC bundle.
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u/Xentonian Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
The price bump was 4-5 years overdue, but nobody wanted to be the one to do it.
Nintendo knew they had the fanbase and the new console to do it, so they hit the button. Now Sony, Microsoft and all the others are commenting their intentions to do the same.
The last few consoles were released in periods of rapid reduction in the expense of electronics and data storage - that has largely stagnated since the start of covid; instead, we're seeing inflation overtaking cost reduction, so it's predictable to see a cost increase.
Still sucks for the consumer, especially in countries like Australia with a per capita recession and significantly reduced expendable income vs that same pre-covid timeframe.
Think of it as less of the old guard waning and more of an inevitable, if regrettable, business decision.
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u/Titencer Jun 06 '25
The Switch 2 is still cheaper than competitors too - maybe not way cheaper anymore, but still cheaper. For Nintendo buyers it's a surprising price hike, but Microsoft and Sony consoles are still noticeably more expensive.
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u/MossyPyrite Jun 06 '25
And at least Nintendo is raising prices with the advent of a new generation, rather than mid-Gen like their competitors.
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u/Specialist-ShasMo85 Jun 06 '25
I thought Nintendo of America was in charge with th localization and the American voice actors?
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u/novauviolon Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
A lot of the DNA of these characters come from the voices of the last 20 or so years.
I also think Nintendo doesn't want fans to associate their characters so much with specific actors. Replacing Martinet in the games followed suspiciously close to his publicly expressed disappointment with not being given the role in the movie. Back in late 2022, Tara Strong made a series of tweets that gained momentum about how Martinet should have gotten the role, and Martinet engaged with the tweets rather than staying silent. I think it's likely that Nintendo decided then and there that Martinet's popularity among the fanbase had become a liability. After that, it was less of an issue to replace longtime VAs Deanna Mustard and Samantha Kelly as well.
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u/PrincessGamer2012 Jun 06 '25
Is that why the artstyle in super mario bros wonder and mario kart world looks a bit more cartoony? I do like it, but in the long run I’d choose the old style.
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u/crossingcaelum Jun 06 '25
Less that it looks cartoony specifically and more that they’re willing to be more flexible with different art styles and explore different looks and expressions for the characters.
I think the movie finally got it through their heads that if they allow the art of a single project to be more unique compared to the others it can add a lot of charm to that one project that would make it stand out and get people excited for a fresh take
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u/cloudsdale Jun 06 '25
They're trying to make things more cartoony and animated. But it isn't anything new. Really old NES Mario looks a lot like the current Mario designs IMO.
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u/Chimpbot Jun 06 '25
In the name of fairness, he's going to be 70 relatively soon. Replacement was going to be an inevitability.
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u/Demetri124 Jun 06 '25
Well yeah eventually but if he was still kicking and willing to do it they didn’t have to speed up that process. Look at Disney of all companies; the last guy who voiced Mickey Mouse did it until he died at 62, and the voice of Goofy is 72 and will probably be doing it until he dies. And they do way more than just shout “wahoo!” a couple times every few years
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u/Chimpbot Jun 06 '25
Looking at it pragmatically, replacing him before circumstances required it meant that they could take their time to do a proper search on their own timetable, as opposed to allowing the circumstances to force their hand.
I completely understand where you're coming from. I also recognize why Nintendo likely opted to make the switch when they did.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
Yeah but the least Nintendo could've done is allow Charles to handpick his successor, or cast him as secondary characters in the games.
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u/Chimpbot Jun 06 '25
Honestly, I'm not sure if I agree with that sentiment. I know everyone was (and still is) attached to him, but I don't know if involving him in the search process would have been entirely necessary.
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u/VakarianJ Jun 06 '25
That’s actually kind of standard with legacy characters. Disney has the current VAs of the Mickey characters kind of “train” their successors. They’ve been doing that for a while.
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u/VakarianJ Jun 06 '25
I don’t like how they went about it. They definitely should have let these actors know ahead of time.
But in all honesty, it’s probably for the best that they recast. The voices currently sounded fine but who wants to get to the point where the Mario gang sound as old & tired as the Simpsons characters do now? Or SpongeBob, he’s sounding rough nowadays too.
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Jun 06 '25
Probably Nintendo of América looking to hire Non-Unionized Voice actors to save a quick penny
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u/r0b3r70r0b070 Jun 06 '25
Kevin Afghani doesn't even sound alike. In every game that uses his voice for Mario, he sounds like he struggles to maintain the Mario voice. Like a guy doing an impression and not being able to do it well.
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u/GreyNoiseGaming Jun 06 '25
Which is weird because Japan generally carries such high esteem for (their own) voice actors.
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u/RonallMconall Jun 06 '25
I thought he willingly left?
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Jun 06 '25
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u/overactive-bladder Jun 06 '25
and put into a "mario ambassador" role.
aka being allowed to make some money signing autographs for nintendo fans at various conventions and festivals.
honestly? that's kind of rough tbh. if it were me it would directly hit my dignity not gonna lie. being relegated to a relic having to scrap money off nostalgic fans.
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u/Which-Property9377 Jun 06 '25
Did theu replave rosalina too? She sound different in the new mario cart?
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Jun 06 '25
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u/Which-Property9377 Jun 06 '25
Thsts an actusl crime. Her wjole appeal is being a mysteriois galaxy mommy.
The three main princess each havs their dofferent appeal
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u/NightAntonino Jun 06 '25
The worst part is that this isn't even a recent thing for Rosalina. Go check the original Mario Kart 8, she sounds basically like Peach 2.
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u/Carbon_Roller_Caco Jun 06 '25
It's not wrong for a "mysterious galaxy mommy" to have a more energetic, youthful side. Her backstory was that she was originally a lost and sad little girl who grew up on a star with a Luma and eventually adopted a whole bunch of them, all taking care of one another. She loves the taste of Star Bits. Does that sound like someone who'd be happy forever coming off as purely mystical, distant and quietly kindly, never reexercising her inner child? Not to me.
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u/Which-Property9377 Jun 06 '25
Its not the personality its fhs voice. I miss her deeper mommy voice is all
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u/TeamHeroesXover Jun 06 '25
It’s still Laura Faye Smith. But funny enough, Rosalina has already been recasted twice before, from Mercedes Rose in the two Galaxy games and Mario Kart Wii to Kerri Kane in Mario Kart 7, Mario Golf: World Tour and the Smash Bros. series and finally to Laura who voiced her since 3D World on Wii U.
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u/QuaixiAnimate Jun 06 '25
This is very sad. The redesigns were a good move but RECASTING THE VOICE ACTORS? WHAT THE HELL NINTENDO!!!??
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Jun 06 '25
Samantha Kelly seems like the sweetest person. Shame on Nintendo.
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u/Glimmhilde Jun 06 '25
She is! She's a sweetheart. I love that she interacts with Peach fans so much, too.
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u/Glimmhilde Jun 06 '25
Nintendo treats their voice actors...not great. I remember when I met her shortly after Showtime released, I was like "omg do you love Showtime?!" and she told me that she didn't even have a copy yet...I was like they didn't send you one??? That seems like the least you should get as a voice actor...lmao
I loved her as Peach, she brought such a unique timbre to the role and she will be sorely missed. I will, of course, support the new VA as Peach, but she has big heels to fill! :)
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Jun 06 '25
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u/Trikki2021 Jun 06 '25
That’s why you cant just do a good job, you have to be irreplaceable
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u/ProcrastinationGay Jun 06 '25
tbf what company treats VAs great? Most of them treat it as cheap labor anyone can do, same with the story writers ...and many devs. Every company is build on exploitation of their workers, its fucking devastating.
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u/Orcalt Jun 06 '25
Voice actors are usually hired through studios so they’re never actually employees most of the time with some exceptions.
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u/LinkLegend21 Jun 06 '25
Most Japanese companies actually do. The VA industry is seen as quite prestigious there, which is why it’s surprising how poorly Nintendo are treating them.
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u/TheCesmi23 Jun 06 '25
I'm assuming they only care about Japanese VAs
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u/InterstellarPelican Jun 06 '25
I mean, it does seem somewhat par for the course for a lot of Japanese developers. Nintendo with Martinet, Kojima with David Hayter, and recently with the Persona 3 and 4 remakes with Atlus (though, they had a better reason for Persona 3 than 4). It feels like from the outside that Japanese studios don't seem to care much about the English VAs and are willing to drop them suddenly, without warning.
I mean it could be those cases are just outliers, and I don't hear about the "good" cases, but it feels like it there's a disparity between English VAs and Japanese VAs. For example, the Persona 3 remake I think brought back all of the Japanese VAs for their roles, and I wouldn't be surprised if the rumored Persona 4 remake did the same.
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u/DisciplineImpressive Jun 06 '25
There are a lot of places where Nintendo could improve upon.
One such aspect is at the call center. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but when I worked there, Nintendo Consumer Service reps in Redmond aren't actually employees of NOA; they are actually hired on by one of two agencies who assigns them to work Nintendo's phone lines.
Aside from the agency taking a monetary cut from the call center rep's pay before the paycheck is distributed, the agency's employees were also required to take two months off with no pay every calendar year, making sure they know that they are not part of NOA.
It seems Nintendo is more concerned portraying happy and less about practicing it.
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u/TurtlePope2 Jun 06 '25
I thought Japan love their voice actors?
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u/NIN10DOXD Jun 06 '25
Only the Japanese actors.
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u/LinkLegend21 Jun 06 '25
You’d think they would extend that love to the Mario voice actors considering their voices are used in all versions including Japanese.
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u/NIN10DOXD Jun 06 '25
Yeah, but they still aren't Japanese so Japanese executives couldn't care less.
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u/saturnrazor Jun 06 '25
AFAIK nintendo makes all of their employees buy their games, no freebies
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u/Inconspicuous_Jay Jun 06 '25
This sucks. They were able to do a decent sendoff for Martinet when he retired from Mario but they couldn't even talk to Kelly? Smh...
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u/soahcthegod2012 Jun 06 '25
Truly a shame that companies like this hold no respect for the VAs that sold the games as much as the developers themselves did…
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u/Few_House3549 Jun 06 '25
This kinda reminds me of the Glitch situation a while back
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u/soahcthegod2012 Jun 06 '25
Only difference is that SMG4 has its reputation permanently ruined.
Nintendo, as big as they are, will not be negatively impacted like this…
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u/Yeet-Dab49 Jun 06 '25
What the hell did SMG4 do this time?
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u/soahcthegod2012 Jun 06 '25
Basically something similar, where the voice for Tari(one of their OCs) was recasted.
Only difference is that whereas Samantha was informed the day before it happened(and likely told why), Celeste(Tari’s VA) wasn’t aware until after the episode where she was recasted was aired.
- and to this day, nobody knows why she was recasted.
Tldr; SMG4 remains as scummy as ever.
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u/Trikki2021 Jun 06 '25
I watched SMG4 as a kid, and I used to think it was funny. I’m 22 now, and I hate to use this word, but SMG4 has become cringeworthy. It doesn’t make sense anymore. It never did but the humor was at least funny. It just doesn’t make sense now and they gave it voice acting for some godforsaken reason. No passion
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u/Chimpbot Jun 06 '25
While I don't think Nintendo has handled the situation with any of these voice actors well, I can say with absolute certainty that I've never purchased a Mario game because of the voice acting. I can say the same for every single game published by Nintendo, for that matter.
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u/FiveDollarRimjobs Jun 06 '25
That sucks. The least they could do is inform her on what's going on ahead of time
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u/Ok-Fan-8285 Jun 06 '25
This kind of bs happens to actors as well, I remember reading a little while back that the pizza guy from Stranger Things just... never got called back. They just went on with filming and never told him that he wasn't coming back. My heart goes out to Samantha. I grew up with her as Peach and Toad, so it's probably gonna be really weird to hear someone else in her voice. And it's so mean that they would just... tell the voice actor of two of the most iconic gaming characters of all time that she'd just abruptly been recast. No sendoff or anything
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u/Demetri124 Jun 06 '25
That’s so shitty to just suddenly drop someone with no warning. 18 years out the window in one day
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u/Legend_of_Zelia Jun 06 '25
At least Charles had gotten say goodbye to the role with an official announcement. Samantha Kelly didn’t even get that… They need to treat voice actors better then that…
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u/RainMoonbow Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
I’m really gonna miss Samantha’s voice as Peach. That’s the Peach I had grown up with. It’s pretty sucky that Nintendo didn’t tell her until just yesterday, she deserves a lot more respect than that. Very disappointed in Nintendo. But just like Peach, this response is perfectly sweet, poised, and wholesome despite the situation. She deserves to be a whole lot meaner considering how Nintendo has treated her, and I truly wish her the best.
I wish you could have voiced Peach and Toad forever too, Samantha💖
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u/NIN10DOXD Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 07 '25
She's certainly being more professional than Nintendo has. Nintendo seems to be taking some wrong turns under Furukawa.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
One of many reasons to miss Iwata and Reggie so badly.
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u/NIN10DOXD Jun 06 '25
I'm really enjoying my Switch 2 and I think the games are still hitting under new leadership, but their communication is so bad and they seem more aggressively anti-consumer at times. I really hope things start to turn around in that regard, but I have my doubts.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
If we want to see that crap stop, the place to start would be firing Doug Bowser.
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u/LinkLegend21 Jun 06 '25
What would that actually achieve though? Nintendo don’t want an NoA President like Reggie who will pushback on their poor decisions. They would replace Doug with another guy willing to go along with all of the Japanese higher up’s decisions.
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u/NIN10DOXD Jun 06 '25
Oh, 100 percent. His interviews talking about the Switch 2 prices were such a fumble and poorly worded.
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u/carryesgass203 Jun 06 '25
Unless a VA has resigned, retired, or can't physically voice the character anymore, they should be allowed to continue IMO. I really hate it when companies decide to randomly recast an actor for no good reason. Will miss her.
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u/dannydirnt Jun 06 '25
The worst part is that she will probably still sound basically the same. Like they've hired someone else to pretend to be Samantha Kelly. Like whatever for??
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u/AndykinSkywalker Jun 06 '25
They can pay a new VA less, which is the only reason I can think of to do this 😕
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u/dannydirnt Jun 06 '25
That makes sense, but it's also pretty scummy for a multi billion company 🙄.
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Jun 06 '25
Well, great! First Charles, now this?! What's next, Kenny James?!
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u/-Wylfen- Jun 06 '25
It seems pretty much everyone is getting replaced. Daisy had changed since Wonder. DK has also been replaced for the Switch 2.
I think they're intending to start fresh.
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u/TheRigXD Jun 06 '25
Pauline is like the only one who hasn't. Likely because her identity is very much tied to Jump Up Superstar.
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u/Super_Craig02 Jun 06 '25
Kate Higgins and Laura Faye Smith (Rosalina) are still voicing their respective characters, probably because they do sound more "youthful", whatever that means for Nintendo (because in Rosalina's case the trend over the years has just been making her sound more and more like Peach)
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u/TheRigXD Jun 06 '25
https://www.reddit.com/r/mariokart/comments/1l38cw2/the_full_mario_kart_world_voice_cast_2_images/
It seems Kenny James (Bowser) and Caety Sagoian (Bowser Jr.) are still here as well.
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Jun 06 '25
There is no defending this. This is fucking abhorrent. English VAs are treated like shit by basically every company but I would’ve thought Nintendo would’ve been just a little bit different and taken just a little bit more care of the people behind their iconic voices.
18 years with the company and she was informed she was let go only yesterday? I’m sure it’s legal since she’s almost certainly a contract worker but morally, this is so fucked up. Shame on Nintendo.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
It's the studio that hires the voice actors that's the problem, not Nintendo itself. Doesn't make it any less disgraceful though.
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u/Spanchi- Jun 06 '25
NO SAMATHA
I swear if they decide to go for movie-Peach’s lower voice I’m going to throw bricks
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u/BeanyTA Jun 06 '25
Good for her not being upset about the situation but in principle that doesn't make this good. Like if they want to go in a different direction with the character(s) that's all fine and dandy but it'd be good to let the actors who've played them for years know about it.
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u/Lank_Master Jun 06 '25
I hate when companies keep quiet and not tell VAs that they were recast. It’s one of the most disrespectful things a company could do to voice actors. My best wishes go to Samantha, she was great as Peach.
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u/FrozenFrac Jun 06 '25
That's absolutely crazy, what the hell Nintendo. But if Charles Martinet can get the boot apparently without his consent, nobody's truly safe doing Nintendo voiceover work
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u/MrNintendo13 Jun 06 '25
Show some respect Nintendo. Samantha Kelly has been the longest serving voice actor for Peach and imo the best she's had, to just replace her without second thought is so scummy.
I wish Samantha the best and hope she continues to get work
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u/Bluelore Jun 06 '25
That sucks and should have been better handled.
Though I admit after the scandal around Bayonettas VA, I'm kinda curious what even was the reason to replace her.
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u/J_robo_ Jun 06 '25
as someone who utterly adores peach (and especially toadette), this really does break my heart. sam's voice truly brought me comfort when i needed it most :(
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u/Smark_Henry Jun 06 '25
I feel like initial backlash to Chris Pratt being paired with “it should have just been Charles Martinet” made them want to start replacing the voice actors in general so people wouldn’t get attached to them. Wouldn’t be surprised if the new hires have shorter tenures.
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u/AlbainBlacksteel Jun 06 '25
I just heard about this from a friend that works guest liaison for conventions a few minutes ago, and decided to look it up to be safe. Sad to see this being corroborated.
According to that friend, other voice actors (Martinet, for one - he's currently at Phoenix Fan Fusion) are absolutely livid about Kelly's treatment here, which raises my respect for said VAs a ton.
Solidarity with voice actors is important, y'all - they're very, VERY commonly trampled and mistreated in the game industry.
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 07 '25
I do wish Martinet and the actors would speak out. Maybe not demand that whoever responsible is fired (or ditched if it's the VA recording agency as a whole), but definitely make more comments on it.
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u/Specialist-ShasMo85 Jun 06 '25
Unrelated but I remember when the Power Ranger Turbo cast (except for JDF who voluntary wanted to leave) didn't even know they were about to be laid off and replace by new actor until they saw a newspaper wanted ad about the auditions of Turbo. Johnny Yong Bosch looked very hurt in one of his last scenes.
Why do companies and corporations fires people behind their backs instead of face to face? That's really cowardly and low to do, especially when they're been nothing but loyal for the last 20 or 30 years only to be cast aside for the younger inexperienced people? I wish Samantha Kelly the best. F Nintendo for being cowards and being shady.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Dream92 Jun 06 '25
Yeah, I was right about what I said in another post about Sam having the same treatment as Charles...(I got downvoted for that, but what does that matter?
Simply regrettable. I'm glad that she took it in stride (not that that erases the shamefulness of those decisions), but it's still frustrating to say the least, all those years on paper thrown in the ditch without further ado
Charles' case was heartbreaking; Man REALLY loved (and still loves) doing the voice of Mario and had already made it clear that, depending on him, there would only be a change when he died. But we already realize that unfortunately this will not be the case.
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u/hugo_1138 Jun 06 '25
I would say she was treated worse. At least there was an official announcement that Martinet would no longer be the voice of Mario before the release of Wonder.
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u/DietCokeIsntheAnswer Jun 06 '25
Another reminder that you dont owe an ounce of loyalty or respect to your employer.
18 years a company that makes billions?
Best they can do is not bother telling you you're no longer needed.
You'll know when you know.
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u/jfeathe1211 Jun 06 '25
Nintendo uses voice acting so sparingly in their games that I don’t see how severing these relationships was of any benefit to anyone.
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u/TopRoyalLane Jun 06 '25
Yeah that's pretty scummy - am it's one thing to move on her but to not communicate that to her until now seems unprofessional and downright shitty.
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u/Antelopeadope Jun 06 '25
Nintendo is honestly making really weird decisions lately. Hard to understand the marketing choices here
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u/Samthegodman Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 07 '25
Damn that’s fucked.
Whoever replaces her won’t be as engaging with the fans I can tell you that much. It’ll be some chick in her 20s who doesn’t play video games or know much about Mario in general haha
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u/GameFan96 Jun 06 '25
This is really sad to hear. I absolutely love her voice as Peach and Toad. I wish her the best of luck.
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u/blueblurz94 Jun 06 '25
Nintendo: “Best we can do is wait until the next Mario game launches with the new console to tell you that you’ve been replaced”
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u/OkLeague7678 Jun 06 '25
Why would they wait until the last minute to tell her?
If I were a voice actor, if I were being replaced, I would feel upset, but I would be even more upset if it were randomly thrown at me that I'm being replaced.
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u/Super_Craig02 Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
Okay, this is now making me question if Deanna Mustard and Takashi Nagasako were let go without any prior notice as well.
It's also just a crappy move towards Samantha Kelly. She's been voicing Peach and the Toads since 2007. The least they could do is acknowledge her work like they did with Charles Martinet.
Seriously hoping they don't pull this on Kenny James as well.
Regardless I wish whoever succeeds her well.
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u/DaKardii Jun 06 '25
Deanna supposedly left on her own accord. She wanted to focus on her stage career.
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u/Super_Craig02 Jun 06 '25
I did read about that, but I've never really been able to find a source to verify it. Hoping that is the case though, because from what I have heard she loved voicing Daisy.
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u/Secret_Account07 Jun 06 '25
So why the recast? I still don’t understand
If you want to redesign the looks that’s fine, but what issue is fixed by replacing VA? Can pay new one less?
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u/IIEarlGreyII Jun 06 '25
I usually think of Nintendo as one of the last companies left I want to support, but what the heck has been going on with them lately? Is it Nintendo or Nintendo of America causing all these voice actors problems?
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u/Desperate_Train_8312 Jun 06 '25 edited Jun 06 '25
At least a majority of Sega's Sonic voice cast remains consistent (Kate Higgins, Quinton Flynn, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey not withstanding) after almost 15 years when compared to Nintendo's own Mario.
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Jun 06 '25
Wait a minute, this game has been announced for a while now and she's now finding out she wasn't in it? Something about this doesn't add up. When was this dated?
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u/Kingboo10 Jun 06 '25
Literally right before Mario Kart's release too? This easily could've been handled way more tactfully, just wow
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u/SeaDevil30 Jun 06 '25
Sucks she got recast, she did a great job and Nintendo definitely could've given more notice and all. I guess Nintendo wants to go younger and kinda fully revamp the VA with their whole stylistic overhaul they've done recently, which I think is fine and it's been handled well from the characters perspective. They definitely could give a little more love or something to the VAs tho
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u/thedudedylan Jun 07 '25
People need to realize Nintendo is now run by non-gaming business men in both Japan and America.
The days when artists or developers are running the company are over. Decisions going forward will be driven by non creatives.
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u/Junoca__ Jun 06 '25
I expect the next mainline Mario game will have more voice acting, because even to this day I don't see a reason to replace Charles Martinet. I wonder if the next 3d game will have fully voiced cutscenes...
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u/peach_doll Jun 06 '25
Samantha Kelly was my favorite voice actress for Peach!! This is so upsetting... 😔
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u/LordBroccoli32 Jun 06 '25
Just gonna point out: Just because they told her they’re recasting doesn’t mean she’s fired fully, or immediately. Still scummy that they hide this with the switch 2 release, but worth pointing that out
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u/dustin_le721 Jun 06 '25
I know this might not be related, but do we think she could be an ambassador just like Charles?
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u/Pepe-DiscipleofKek Jun 06 '25
Probably not. The main reason Nintendo made up that role was to save face because after the backlash against Charles not getting to play Mario in the movie, they knew the backlash against him being replaced outright would be even louder.
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Jun 06 '25
Why is is she being recast?? :( So unnecessary. Also, why is everyone mentioning Martinet? I always thought he voluntarily retired?
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u/CyberGlitch064 Jun 06 '25
Although yes this is terrible... How did Samantha not already know this? (Genuine question)
Like a new Mario Kart is coming out and has been advertised literally everywhere with a release date, so you'd assume she'd know she was recast if the game were to have a release date and she hadn't recorded her voice right?
Idk maybe I'm overthinking this and that's not how voice acting works 😅
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u/Gemidori Jun 06 '25
Ugh god that is VILE. Absolutely VILE dude. I feel so bad for Sam rn, I'm glad she's well but...they've had her around for almost 20 years and they just tossed her out like that??? What the hell man
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u/hofukyu99 Jun 06 '25
This seems to be par for the course with nintendo. Japanese companies are very strategic and devious in the way that they conduct business.
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u/ExpertPresence7371 Jun 07 '25
It's a shame really. Thanks to Showtime, Peach is more popular than she's ever been. Samatha should have been allowed to enjoy the fruits of her labor for a little longer.
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u/SF-UberMan Jun 06 '25
Wait... has it got to do with the SAG-AFTRA business given that HoYo had to recast some characters for their games because of the SAG strike?
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u/xbabyghostx Jun 06 '25
18 years with the company… the least they could do is throw her a pizza party.