Platinum Games confirms that Jennifer Hale, a Canadian-American voice actress, will be the new voice of Bayonetta for the upcoming games.
(Image credit: Platinum Games)
During an interview with Game Informer focusing on Bayonetta 3, the new game in the Bayonetta series planned for the next october 28, the studio confirms that the main character’s official voice will change. While English actress Hellena Taylor had previously done the voice, it will be Jennifer Hale’s turn to officially take over. Back in September, Taylor hinted that she wouldn’t be the voice of Bayonetta in the third installment, but that remained just a rumor.
Jennifer Hale is a voice actress with a lot of gaming experience under her belt. You will surely recognize her, because she is, among other things, the voice of the female version of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, the voice of Samus Aran in the Metroid Prime series, the voice of Naomi Hunter in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, the voice of Ashe in the shooter Overwatch and the voice of Rivet in the new Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. It has therefore probably, at one time or another, been part of your gaming experience.
Various overlapping circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role. We held auditions to choose the new voice of Bayonetta and offered the role to Jennifer Hale, who we thought was a good fit for the character. I understand some fans’ concerns regarding the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we might have imagined. I’m confident her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed our fans’ expectations.” Game Director, Yusuke Miyata.
Platinum Games also confirms that the Japanese voice (VO) of the character will not change, it will always be interpreted by Atsuko Tanaka. Also, the Game Informer reporter, following testing the game himself, states that the difference is not remarkable. The performances of the two actresses are similar and both are excellent.