After the scathingaccusationsmade by originalBayonettavoice actor, Hellena Taylor, that she was only offered $4,000 to reprise her role inBayonetta 3, her replacement, Jennifer Hale, has finally put out astatementto address the controversy. Her message, as seen below, doesn’t get too detailed about the issues at hand, but it does address some of the key claims currently being discussed.RELATED:Bayonetta 3 New Character Viola Will Offer A “Completely Different” Play StyleObviously, due to her being hired to play the iconic character, there are certain things she can’t disclose because of an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), as she says so herself. It’s likely she’ll never specifically detail how much she was paid for the role, though due to her pedigree as an actor, having played female Commander Shepard inMass Effect, Rivet inRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and many, many more, most assume she was paid significantly more than the $4,000 number relayed by Taylor.
If Taylor’s claims are to be believed, it raises the sentiment of inquiry as to why PlatinumGames, the dev team, didn’t pay Taylor a similarly adequate amount, given that she’s Bayonetta’s original voice actor. On the other side of it, PlatinumGames VP Hideki Kamiya seemed toindirectly deny the allegations, posting a tweet expressing his displeasure about “untruth.” Kamiya’s Twitter account has since disappeared.
Despite showing support, Hale also challenges some of Taylor’s viewpoints. In her original video, Taylor asked fans to boycott the upcoming Bayonetta 3, but Hale clearly wants fans to “keep an open mind,” reminding them that the title has been made by an entire team of hard-working people. Hale seemingly prefers gamers to support the project despite the questionable decision the executives at hand may or may not have made regarding Taylor.
Hale was found to havepreviously liked a tweetthat criticized Taylor’s comments about her. Taylor candidly stated that Hale was not the voice of Bayonetta, thatshecreated that voice, and that Hale had no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta. The aforementionedtweetfrom @psyYchopath reads: “It is not a good look for Miss Taylor. [Hale] did not ‘steal’ it from you, it was [PlatinumGames] orNintendo. Don’t be mad at Miss Hale. She is just a hired VA like you.”
Bayonetta 3 is set to release on July 28, 2025, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
