UPDATES: Original Bayonetta Voice Actress Claims She Did Not Reprise Her Role in Bayonetta 3 Due to Only $4,000 Pay

Recently, controversy has sprung up regarding the voice actress of Bayonetta in the upcoming Bayonetta 3. For those unaware, the protagonist’s voice actress from the first two games, Hellena Taylor, has not reprised her role in Bayonetta 3. Instead, Jennifer Hale has been chosen to voice the character.

In an interview with Game Informer, the game’s director, Yusuke Miyata, shared the following reason why Jennifer Hale replaced Hellena:

“Various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role. We held auditions to cast the new voice of Bayonetta and offered the role to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a good match for the character. I understand the concerns some fans have about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we could have imagined. I’m confident that her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed our fans’ expectations.”

However, Hellena has recently spoken up on Twitter, voicing the allegedly real reason why she hasn’t returned. She stated that she was offered an insulting sum for performing the role in this third outing. Hellena had to re-audition for the role due to the nature of the job, and after sending a message to Hideki Kamiya about what she’s worth, he stated he greatly values her contributions. Unfortunately, she was then offered a measly $4,000 payment.

As a result, she has started urging fans to boycott the game and donate to charity, though she understands that many won’t. Still, she has said she is choosing to stand in solidarity with people worldwide who are not paid adequately.

You can view Hellena’s full thread of messages regarding this disappointing state of affairs below:

Friends, Worldlings, Bayonutters. Hear ye!#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

UPDATE: Kamiya has responded with the following tweet:

Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That's what all I can tell now.

By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.

— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) October 15, 2022

UPDATE 10/16/2022: Kamiya’s Twitter account appears to be gone entirely.

UPDATE 10/17/2022: Kamiya’s Twitter account is back.

UPDATE: 10/18/2022: Bayonetta’s new voice actress, Jennifer Hale, shared a message about the ongoing situation, viewable below:

About Bayonetta 3: pic.twitter.com/e4VrclEQIm

— Jennifer Hale (@jhaletweets) October 17, 2022

UPDATE 10/18/2022: Bloomberg has shared an article detailing the situation. PlatinumGames reportedly attempted to get Hellena Taylor back in as Bayonetta for approximately between $3K and $4K per session across 5 sessions.

However, according to reports, Taylor requested a sum of 6-figures, along with residuals. PaltinumGames declined, leading to Jennifer Hale eventually getting the role. Hellena Taylor is still sticking to her original story.

10/20/2022: PlatinumGames shared an official statement on the conflict, viewable below:

A Message from PlatinumGames pic.twitter.com/5ym1JxtBBn

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) October 21, 2022