Nintendo
Over the weekend, in a shocking series of videos shared on Twitter, Hellena Taylor, Bayonettaâs original voice actor, shared that the reason she did not return for Bayonetta 3 was because of an âinsultingâ offer for the role. As a result, sheâs asking fans to boycott the game, which releases on October 28th.
On October 15th, the voice actor posted three videos on Twitter sharing her story, detailing her years of experience and training. âAnd what did they think this was worth?â she said in the video. âThe final offer to do the whole game […] was $4,000 US dollars.â
Taylor called the offer âan insult to meâ and asked fans to boycott the game and donate the money they intended to spend on Bayonetta 3 to charity. In the subsequent videos, Taylor said that she made this statement to stand in solidarity âwith people all over the world who do not get paid properly for their talents.â She talked about the effect the offer had on her and her mental health, worrying about losing her housing and ideations of suicide.
Taylorâs revelation comes amid a climate in which voice actors are increasingly sharing how little theyâre paid to voice some of entertainmentâs most popular characters. Anairis Quiñones revealed on Twitter she was only paid $150 to voice Rika Orimoto in the popular anime Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Other voice actors expressed similar concerns on Twitter sharing that voice work is continually underpaid, with big studios even refusing to work with union contracts that would ensure voice actors have certain protections.
In her videos, Taylor went on to explain how, in her native Britain, thereâs a cost of living crisis that has ânurses going to food banks to feed their children,â while âfat cats cream off the top and leave us the rotten crumbs.â Taylor noted that, according to her estimation, the Bayonetta franchise has made $450 million.
The Verge has reached out to Nintendo, which is publishing the game, and Taylor for an official comment but has yet to hear back from either. However, seemingly in response to Taylorâs videos, Hideki Kamiya, the Bayonetta series creator at studio PlatinumGames, tweeted, âSad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. Thatâs what all I can tell now. By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.â
In her videos, Taylor said that she doesnât fear potential legal action regarding any breach of an NDA because she âcanât even afford to run a carâ and that she had written to Kamiya himself to express her dissatisfaction. She said that his response seemed complimentary of her skills and that fans were eager to have her return to the role only to then offer her the $4,000 sum. In an early October interview with Game Informer, game director Yusuke Miyata said it was âvarious overlapping circumstancesâ that prevented Taylor from reprising her role.
Taylor wished all the best to Bayonettaâs new voice Jennifer Hale, best known for her work as Commander Shepard in Mass Effect. It is somewhat ironic that Hale is Taylorâs replacement given that Haleâs numerous video game credits including Overwatch and Ratchet & Clank as well as her myriad animated TV and film roles, mean she would likely command an even higher salary than Taylor. Hale has not commented on the situation but has liked several tweets that suggest she cannot comment for NDA reasons, that she potentially didnât know Taylorâs situation when accepting the role, and praise for Taylorâs work advocating for voice actors.
Taylor explained that she understood folks who do not wish to participate in a boycott but urged those who care about how people are treated to spend their money elsewhere.
âBayonetta always stands up for those with less power and in doing this you stand with her.â