Bayonetta dependable histrion Hellena Taylor won’t beryllium returning for Bayonetta 3.

A connection from PlatinumGames to Game Informer (via Nintendo Everything) has confirmed that Taylor, who voiced Bayonetta successful the archetypal 2 games, won’t beryllium back.

“Various overlapping circumstances made it hard for Hellena Taylor to reprise her role,” they confirmed. “We held auditions to formed the caller dependable of Bayonetta and offered the relation to Jennifer Hale, whom we felt was a bully lucifer for the character.”

Hale is possibly champion known arsenic the pistillate dependable of Commander Shepard successful the Mass Effect series, arsenic good arsenic voicing Samus Aran successful the Metroid Prime series.

“I recognize the concerns immoderate fans person astir the dependable alteration astatine this constituent successful the series, but Jennifer’s show was mode beyond what we could person imagined,” they said. “I’m assured that her portrayal of Bayonetta volition transcend our fans’ expectations.”

Bayonetta 3 is presently due for merchandise astatine the extremity of the month. A sequel to Bayonetta 2, the crippled sees the titular heroine tackling Homunculi arsenic she travels to the land of Thule to halt an evil entity known arsenic The Singularity.

Taylor archetypal hinted that she wouldn’t beryllium backmost for the 3rd installment earlier this year, arsenic fans took to Twitter to accidental they couldn’t ideate Bayonetta without her dependable work.

“Well you mightiness person to,” she replied.

Bound by a confidentiality statement astatine the time, she was incapable to corroborate whether oregon not she would instrumentality for Bayonetta 3, but present we know.

IGN’s Bayonetta review gave it 8.2/10 and said: “Although Bayonetta has much than a fewer similarities to Devil May Cry, I judge that this crippled is worthy playing... but it's hard to urge the PS3 mentation erstwhile the 360 mentation is truthful overmuch better. Even erstwhile you see the fantastic combat system, the slowdown and load times truly bash spoil the fun. With that said, Bayonetta is inactive stylish, entertaining, and unique. If you person nary different prime but to acquisition the PS3 version, you'll inactive get a footwear retired of it. Just beryllium acceptable to beryllium exorbitantly patient.” Our Bayonetta 2 review was adjacent much positive, with a people of 9.5.

Want to work much astir Bayonetta? Check retired our hands-on with Bayonetta 3 and find retired astir Hideki Kamiya's obsession with classical arcade games.

Ryan Leston is an amusement writer and movie professional for IGN. You tin travel him connected Twitter.