Bayonetta 3 developer PlatinumGames has stated its "full support" for Jennifer Hale, the voice actress who stepped into the role of Bayonetta when the character's previous voice actor did not return for the third game in the series.
In a series of videos published last week, that original actress, Hellena Taylor, claimed she was offered only $4,000 to work on Bayonetta 3. Fans reacted strongly, suggesting a boycott of the game and criticizing Hale for stepping into the role.
PlatinumGames published a defense of Hale on Thursday.
"We at PlatinumGames offer our sincerest appreciation to everyone who has contributed to creating the Bayonetta series over the years, as well as the community that has served as its foundation. We give our full support to Jennifer Hale as the new Bayonetta, and align with everything in her statement. We ask people to please refrain from any further comments that would disrespect Jennifer or any of the other contributors to the series."
Hale tweeted the statement PlatinumGames referred to in its message of support Oct. 17, two days after Taylor published her claims, writing, "As a longtime member of the voice acting community, I support every actor's right to be paid well and have advocated consistently for this for years."
She went on to say that although she was under NDA and could not provide much more detail, her reputation on that front "speaks for itself." When fans turned their attacks on her, she tweeted two days later, "there are lessons in this. so many lessons. let's just be good to each other. let's start there."
Many voice actors rallied around Hale, including Returnal and Hitman actress Jane Perry, Dying Light and Devil May Cry 5 actress Liisa Lee Lovett, and voice acting legend Steve Blum among many others.
Bayonetta 3 is set to launch Oct. 28.
This article was originally published on dbltap as PlatinumGames Throws Support Behind New Bayonetta Voice Actor.
