Recent controversies regarding the release of Bayonetta 3, the first installment in the franchise since 2014, are darkening the world surrounding the Umbra Witch—even going as far as getting the attention of the franchise’s director.
Hideki Kamiya, vice president of Platinum Games and director of the Bayonetta series, appears to have been indefinitely suspended or deleted from Twitter, as his profile no longer exists. This follows videos released yesterday from Bayonetta’s former voice actor, Hellena Taylor, that explained why she decided to not voice the iconic angel-hunting protagonist in the upcoming Bayonetta 3—instead voiced by Jennifer Hale.
Taylor opted to not return to her starring role due to supposedly being offered only $4,000 for the entirety of her work, despite having voiced the Umbra Witch for the past 13 years.
She described feeling suicidal at times, unsure if she would be able to live off of these wages despite all of her previous training and game appearances, then urging fans to boycott the upcoming release.
The vice president of Platinum Games has been notorious for his willingness to block people on Twitter, notably commenters that respond to his posts in English. A now-inaccessible tweet from Kamiya appeared to have him contest Taylor’s claims, saying “sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth,” then reminding his following he would be quick to block them.
Platinum Games as a whole has not responded to Taylor’s claims of underpaying, nor the sudden disappearance of Kamiya’s Twitter account. It is also not clear if Kamiya deleted his Twitter account himself, or if waves of negative interactions from fans led to its suspension.
Bayonetta 3 is still scheduled to release for the Nintendo Switch on Oct. 28.