Bayonetta’s voice actress Helena Taylor will not be returning for Bayonetta 3.
Statement from PlatinumGames game informer (via All about Nintendo) has confirmed that Taylor, who played Bayonetta in the first two games, will not be returning.
“The combination of circumstances made it difficult for Helena Taylor to reprise her role,” they confirmed. I offered the role to Jennifer Hale because I felt it was.”
Hale is perhaps best known for being the female voice of Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series and Samus Aran in the Metroid Prime series.
“We understand some fans are concerned about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance far exceeded our expectations.” We are confident that we will exceed the expectations of our fans.”
Bayonetta 3 is currently scheduled for release at the end of the month. A sequel to Bayonetta 2, the game sees the famous heroine confront a homunculus who travels to Thule Island to stop an evil entity known as the Singularity.
Taylor first hinted earlier this year that she wouldn’t be returning for the third installment because fans were saying on Twitter that they couldn’t imagine Bayonetta without her voice work.
“Well, I may have to,” she replied.
Due to non-disclosure agreements at the time, we couldn’t confirm if she would return for Bayonetta 3, but we do now.
IGN’s Bayonetta Review gave it an 8.2/10, stating: much better Even with a great combat system, the slowdowns and load times really ruin the fun. Even if you’re forced to buy the PS3 version, you’ll still enjoy it. Be prepared to be ridiculously patient. Reviews for Bayonetta 2 were even more positive, with a score of 9.5.
Want to know more about Bayonetta? Check out Bayonetta 3 hands-on to find out more about Hideki Kamiya’s classic arcade game obsession.
Ryan Leston is IGN’s entertainment journalist and film critic.you can follow him twitter.
