Bayonetta fans have been anxiously awaiting news regarding the status of Bayonetta 3, but development has gone silent at Platinum Games. Some fans even believe that the Nintendo Switch exclusive action game may have been canceled or rebooted, though Platinum has tried to assure them that things are going fine. Sadly, the first Bayonetta 3 update in a long time isn't good news. It comes from voice actor Hellena Taylor, who has voiced Bayonetta herself in all previous appearances. Sadly, Taylor hints that she may no longer be voicing the role.
On Saturday, Taylor shared a message on Twitter saying how thankful she is for all of the fans of her portrayal of Bayonetta. One of the responses says that they can't imagine the character of Bayonetta without Taylor's voice, to which Taylor responds, "Well you might have to." In other words, Taylor is saying that fans may have to get used to Bayonetta being voiced by another voice actor. Unfortunately, Taylor provides no further context regarding this statement.
When asked to comment further on the matter by another Twitter user, Taylor tells them that they're "not at liberty to say" and that she is "bound by [a] confidentiality clause." Taylor could be restricted by an NDA related to her past or current projects, disallowing her from discussing those projects. Hinting that she may not actually be involved, that she may not be voicing Bayonetta, could fall into a grey area that the NDA doesn't actually cover. If she's not actually involved, then an NDA tied to involvement isn't binding.
Given the situation at hand, there's no real way to verify whether or not Taylor is involved in the development of Bayonetta 3 in any way or if she'll be voicing Bayonetta again or not. However, there's really no reason not to take her statement seriously, either. Platinum Games may very well have decided not to bring Taylor back to voice the character.
This types of situation is always complicated, of course. Maybe Platinum Games is making a Bayonetta prequel with a much younger Bayonetta, or a game where she is older. Maybe there are some other extenuating circumstances regarding the situation. It's also possible Platinum just decided to go in a different direction, like Hideo Kojima with Solid Snake's voice in Metal Gear Solid 5. Perhaps fans' fears have come true and Bayonetta 3 was canceled, though this is purely speculation.
Regardless of the situation, Bayonetta fans are likely to take this news harshly. Taylor's voice for Bayonetta is a key aspect of the character and a large part of why she's so beloved. Without her voice, Bayonetta 3 will be that much more distant from the games and everything they represented. Hopefully, Platinum Games can clarify the situation soon.
Bayonetta 3 is in development for Nintendo Switch.
