Hellena Taylor, the voice actor for Bayonetta, has been worrying fans on Twitter where a string of replies from the actress seems to cast doubt over whether she'll be returning in the series' third installment.
Taylor, who has been the voice of Bayonetta in the English version of the series since its debut on consoles in 2010, recently sparked fear among the Bayonetta community on Twitter. The concern is driven by a tweet from one of her fans exclaiming that they couldn't imagine Bayonetta without her voice work, which received an unnerving response from Taylor: "Well you might have to."
Well you might have to.
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) September 12, 2021
When asked by further fans whether she would be returning to Bayonetta 3 to voice the titular character, Taylor responded in a number of tweets stating that she was either "not at liberty to say" or "bound by [a] confidentiality agreement" that hindered her from talking more openly about her role (or lack of role) in the upcoming title.
I’m not at liberty to say.
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) September 12, 2021
I so wanna answer that one but I’m bound by confidentiality agreement.
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) September 12, 2021
On top of a number of worried fans, Jean Pierre Kellams, who worked on the English adaptations for both previous entries in the Bayonetta series before he left PlatinumGames in 2017, shared his thoughts about a possible future for Bayonetta 3 that didn't include a return to the series for Taylor. The former studio Creative Producer said, "If Hellena Taylor isn't back as Bayonetta, don't worry… I'll lead the riot."
While Kellam's comments did little to offer fans any much-needed peace of mind regarding speculation for the role, it did prompt a heartwarming response from Taylor herself as can be seen below:
Now this is the best tweet of the night. I love this man. He is so talented and such a lovely person. It was such a joy to work with him.
Love and love. Hx
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) September 12, 2021
Earlier this month PlatinumGames spoke out about Bayonetta 3, reaffirming their position that the release of further details surrounding the game is essentially out of the studio's control and instead in the hands of its publisher, Nintendo. In a recent attempt to reassure fans about the game's lack of reveal, studio head Atsushi Inaba reportedly told VGC in an interview that "there's no need [for fans] to worry" about it and that "everything's OK".
However, with little to show since its original announcement at The Game Awards 2017, and further speculation being cast about Taylor's role in the game's English adaptation, it's fair to say that members of the community will be itching for content that puts any doubts about the upcoming title to bed.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.