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The upcoming hack-and-slash offering, Bayonetta 3, has been a recent subject of controversy after the original voice actor, Hellena Taylor, was replaced. To add to the mess, the studio's key employee Hideki Kamiya recently took to Twitter to mitigate the damage after Taylor stepped up to elaborate on her absence. Now, new information has come to light, citing Platinum's pay of a meager 4,000 USD for her services as the reason behind her departure.
Among the things Hideki said in his tweet was this bit:
"By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES."
Before the emergence of the recent piece of news, fans had expressed concern over replacing the voice actress with Jennifer Hale. With the new information, they are even more upset and siding with Taylor.
Latest Bayonetta 3 controversy involving voice actress Hellena Taylor could affect game sales
After Taylor's four-part post addressing her fans to boycott the game to respect underpaid workers, Kamiya himself seems to have stirred the hornet's nest. His tweet hinted at Taylor's recent revelation as a form of lie, ending with "BEWARE OF MY RULES."
With that, he openly addressed the fact that any fans who dare bring up this controversy will be blocked right away. Yet gamers have begun to berate him despite his track record of blocking sprees.
Fans are sympathizing with Hellena Taylor and even advocating for her recasting, in addition to being serious about the boycott:
Twitter users didn't drop the issue, commenting under a clearly deflective post about food from Hideki:
As expected, fans who are getting on his nerves are being blocked as well.
Since Hideki Kamiya is the respected game director behind iconic names like Devil May Cry and Okami, this turn of events is very disappointing for many. It is strange that the studio could not afford to offer Taylor a better pay; she has worked with it in the past. This is even more baffling considering the fact that Nintendo is footing the bill for this third entry, which is set to be a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
The Japanese gaming giant has hired world-renowned actors such as Chris Pratt and Jack Black for the upcoming Super Mario movie by Illumination. Perhaps Taylor's meager pay has something to do with Bayonetta's co-owner SEGA? Fans will just have to wait for an official response.
Overall, this is a bad situation for the studio's workforce as well. The title being exclusive to one platform is already expected to see fewer sales. And this controversy, with Taylor being underpaid and Kamiya's response to it, threatens sales for the game even further.
At this point in time, Bayonetta 3 is trending on Twitter, with many users fuming over the situation. As such, an official statement from publisher Nintendo is at least very likely to happen. Bayonetta 3 is set to release on October 28, 2022.
