Skip to main content

Bayonetta 3 voice actress breaks silence amid casting controversy

Jennifer Hale, the voice actress behind Bayonetta in the upcoming Bayonetta 3, has issued a statement about the situation surrounding the character’s previous voice actress, Hellena Taylor, and her claims of being underpaid to reprise her role.

Controversy exploded over the weekend when Bayonetta’s original voice actor, Hellena Taylor, went to Twitter and claimed how Bayonetta 3 developer PlatinumGames only offered her a $4,000 flat rate to work on the entire game. She urged fans to boycott the game as well. Taylor argued that the payment offer was not adequate in comparison to her years of experience, noting that she had a friend write a letter in Japanese to PlatinumGames executive producer Hideki Kamiya to see if she could be paid a living wage for the game.

Hale, who ended up taking over the role, took to Twitter today to weigh in on the controversy. “Anyone who knows me, or has followed my career, will know that I have great respect for my peers, and that I am an advocate for all members of the community. I am under an NDA and am not at liberty to speak regarding this situation. My reputation speaks for itself,” Hale tweeted. “I sincerely ask that everyone keep in mind that this game has been created by an entire team of hard-working, dedicated people and I hope everyone will keep an open mind about what they’ve created. Finally, I hope that everyone involved may resolve their differences in an amicable and respectful way.”

About Bayonetta 3: pic.twitter.com/e4VrclEQIm

— Jennifer Hale (@jhaletweets) October 17, 2022

Jennifer Hale is best known for her voice roles as the female Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect games, as well as Rivet in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. She was cast in the role of Bayonetta, initially surprising fans of the series. Taylor clarified that she did re-audition for the role, but turned it down after receiving the $4,000 offer. It’s currently unknown how much PlatinumGames offered Hale to take on the role.

Taylor wished Hale the best in a Twitter video, but also lashed out at the casting decision. “They now have a new girl voicing her over, and I love actors and I wish her all the joy in the world and all the jobs, but she has no right to say she is Bayonetta.”

Neither PlatinumGames nor Nintendo has provided statements on this matter so far. However, Kamiya responded over the weekend on Twitter, saying, “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now.”

Editors' Recommendations

George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
How Splatfests work in Splatoon 3
Squid kids wearing green, red, and blue outfits.

Splatoon 3 is largely a massive upgrade from the previous titles, but most of the changes are additive rather than overhauls or complete reinventions. The core game is still all about covering the ground in your team's ink, with other objective modes added in to spice up the multiplayer fun. Splatoon 2 added in the Salmon Run hoard mode-style game type, which is now a permanent fixture in Splatoon 3, but what players have always loved since the first game are the Splatfests.

These special events allow everyone to participate in fun, friendly competitions to debate (using ink, of course) a topic. These have been tough choices in the past, such as whether dogs or cats are better or pancakes versus waffles, but Splatoon 3 adds a lot of new wrinkles that make these limited-time events even more fun. The most obvious change is that there are now three choices for each Splatfest, but the differences don't end there. Here's how Splatfests work in Splatoon 3.

Read more
Bayonetta 3 report claims Hellena Taylor was offered at least $15,000 to reprise role
Bayonetta 3

The original voice actor of Bayonetta, Hellena Taylor, was reportedly offered between $3,000 to $4,000 per recording session to work on Bayonetta 3. The report comes after Taylor claimed she was offered a flat $4,000 to reprise the role, in a series of videos calling on fans to boycott the upcoming game.

According to Bloomberg, Bayonetta 3 developer PlatinumGames was going to have Taylor reprise her role as the character for at least five studio sessions. Each session was reportedly going to pay between $3,000 to $4,000, which would amount to at least $15,000 total. However, Taylor reportedly asked for a total sum of six figures as well as residuals for Bayonetta 3. PlatinumGames declined Taylor's offer and after negotiations, the developer began to look for a new voice actor.

Read more
Splatoon 3: Tableturf tips and tricks
A speecial attack screen.

Between the campaign, Turf Wars, Salmon Run, and competitive modes, there's no shortage of things to do in Splatoon 3. This latest entry is packed with content to keep you engaged, no matter how you like to play this third-person shooter, but it doesn't just limit itself to that genre. Despite being a unique game in its respective field, focusing on teamwork and covering the ground with ink over purely eliminating other players, Splatoon 3 went the extra mile to create a fully featured side-game based on their iconic Turf War mode.

Called Tableturf Battles, this card game follows a similar ruleset to Turf Wars, only played in a 1-v-1 format on a grid. At first, this might seem like an easily ignorable distraction, but can actually be a very fun and tactical way to spice up your time in Splatoon 3. Plus, you can earn even more special rewards to bring back into the core game. If you're not familiar with card-based games like this or are having trouble developing a good deck or strategy, here are some key tips and tricks to help you dominate in Tableturf.

Read more