Jennifer Hale has replaced Hellena Taylor as the voice actress for Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3. The news comes from director Yusuke Miyata, who told Game Informer in a recent interview about how Taylor couldn’t reprise her role due to “various overlapping circumstances.” Hale requires little introduction to most gamers, having provided the voice for Samus Aran in Metroid Prime, Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Trilogy, and many other popular characters.
“Various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role,” said Miyata. “We held auditions to cast the new voice of Bayonetta and offered the role to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a good match for the character. I understand the concerns some fans have about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we could have imagined. I’m confident that her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed our fans’ expectations.”
From a Nintendo Everything report:
Hellena Taylor has been with the series since the very beginning and some fans may not be on board with the voice actress change for Bayonetta 3, though it’s worth noting Game Informer said “it’s not jarring.” Also, those sticking with the Japanese version might be interested to know that Bayonetta is still voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in the game.
Game Informer did also ask about which Bayonetta we’re playing as in the third entry and if there’s any connection to Cereza. However, Miyata could “neither confirm nor deny whether this is a grown-up version of Cereza”, adding that given the use of multiverse in this title, “she could be Bayonetta from an alternate dimension who happens to look just like Cereza.
Bayonetta 3 will be released for the Nintendo Switch on October 28, 2022. The game will feature a “Naive Angel Mode” that keeps more of Bayonetta’s clothes on for those who are against nudity.