Hellena Taylor, the original voice actress for Bayonetta, has been passed over for Bayonetta 3 in favor of Jennifer Hale. Taylor explains that this was due to an “immoral” offer from PlatinumGames, the developers of Bayonetta 3, which she explained in video messages directed at fans.

In her videos, Taylor addressed PlatinumGames' earlier statements that the reason why she's not reprising her role in Bayonetta 3 was because of her schedule. Taylor belied this statement, saying that she didn't accept the offer because she was only offered a flat rate of $4,000 for the role, a price that is too low considering the number of lines the actress will have to act out for the upcoming game. PlatinumGames' Bayonetta franchise has sold more than 2 million copies since the series started in 2009.

With her videos, Hellena Taylor also called for a boycott of the game, which will be launching exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022. “If you’re someone who cares about people, who cares about the world around you, who cares about who gets hurt with these financial decisions then I urge you to boycott this game,” says Taylor.

“I didn’t want the world, didn’t ask for too much. I was just asking for a decent, dignified living wage,” says Hellena Taylor. “What they did was legal, but it was immoral.” She also encouraged fans to instead donate their money to charity instead of buying the game.

Fans have rallied behind Taylor, with many fans preferring her voice over the new performance by Jennifer Hale. “We just want the original,” says one commenter. “No disrespect to Hale, but Hellena IS Bayonetta.”

Meanwhile, PlatinumGames responded to Taylor's statements, with PlatinumGames vice president Hideki Kamiya responding by saying: “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That's what all I can tell now.” Then, he ended his statement with a warning. “By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.”