PlatinumGames has released its first official statement regarding the Bayonetta 3 voice acting controversy. A lot of fans have been excited for the highly anticipated third game in the Bayonetta series. Nintendo has released a lot of new trailers for Bayonetta 3 in the months leading up to its October release, including looks at gameplay, the story, and the characters that players can take control of. However, despite a lot of hype being built for Bayonetta 3, in recent weeks the game has become shrouded in a controversy around voice acting and proper pay.This all began when Hellena Taylor, the voice actress who plays the Umbra Witch in Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, shared videos on Twitter in which she claims that PlatinumGames and Nintendo offered her $4,000 to work on the entirety of Bayonetta 3. As Taylor's story goes, she declined this offer, stating it simply wasn't enough money for the work she'd have to do. However, since then, more reports have come out which have muddied the waters of Taylor's initial story.Other voices have weighed in with their own stories of what really went down. Now, PlatinumGames, the developer behind the Bayonetta series, has given its first official statement since Taylor uploaded her videos. The message was posted on Twitter and doesn't offer much in terms of detail on what the reality of the situation is. However, PlatinumGames states that it gives its "full support" to Jennifer Hale the actress taking over the role of Bayonetta in the latest game. It also asks fans not to make any comments that would disrespect Hale or the other voice actors in the series.
As Hellena Taylor's replacement in Bayonetta 3, Jennifer Hale has come under some fire from fans following the statement from the previous voice actress. However, Jennifer Hale also released a statement on the Bayonetta 3 controversy, stating that she was under NDA and couldn't give out any specific details on the situation. It may be some time before the truth is revealed about this scenario, as Taylor sticks to her side of the story while others offer different interpretations of events.
A Bloomberg report stated that Taylor was not offered $4,000 for the entirety of the game, but rather $4,000 per session for her involvement. This would've resulted in around $20,000 being given to Taylor for her to return in Bayonetta 3, something that the actress wasn't happy with. Again, Taylor disputes these claims, which has left a lot of fans divided over which side to take in the whole scenario.
Bayonetta 3 releases on October 28 for Nintendo Switch.