By the time Bayonetta 3 hit shelves on Oct. 28, the title was both a highly anticipated game and a hotly brewing controversy.
Designed by Osaka-based PlatinumGames, the Bayonetta series follows the high-action adventures of a female witch who joins forces with demons to save the world from angelic marauders. In September 2021, Hellena Taylor, the British actress who voiced the titular character in both previous installments, hinted on Twitter that she may not return for the third.
Then, on Oct. 5 of this year, PlatinumGames confirmed it had replaced Taylor with Jennifer Hale, a well-established voice actress who had worked on other games series such as Metal Gear, Mass Effect and Metroid. Ten days later, Taylor tweeted that the company had offered her a flat rate of $4,000 to reprise the role. Believing the offer to have been insultingly low, she asked fans to boycott Bayonetta 3 and give their money to charity instead.