Gaijin Games explains why Charles Martinet is in Runner 2
Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, plays a role in Runner 2. That’s great and all, but why did developer Gaijin Games decide to bring him on board?
Founder Alex Neuse explained:
“We wanted to get Charles because obviously he’s recognizable. We like him, he’s funny, and silly, and great, and awesome. We wanted to have a whimsical character voice that’s reminiscent of old cartoons. You remember those old Looney Tunes when they would do ‘the car of the future!’ …I think that Mike [Roush, Gaijin Games co-founder] and I were both really excited about it, because our games have been on Nintendo platforms and it kind of felt like … it’s a home, the Nintendo stuff, and he’s part of that home, even though he was living in another room until now.”
Martinet plays himself in the game, rather than another character. Neuse talked about this decision:
“We wanted him to be ‘Charles Martinet’ and not just some no-name narrator for a few reasons. Primarily, because we loved Seaman. Do you remember when Leonard Nimoy introduced Seaman? I liked Seaman a lot and I thought the whole game was fun, but I thought that was almost the funnest part of the game. It was so out there.”
Martinet’s work pertains to narration of cut-scenes, interstitial videos, and fake product placements that appear during the beginning of Runner 2. Some of the ads were born out of input from Martinet himself. You can watch one of the ads – titled “Burger Mouth – in the video above.
