Bayonetta voice actress Hellena Taylor has urged fans to boycott Bayonetta 3 because she was offered an “insulting” fee to reprise her role.
This information was first published by Taylor through his Twitter account. If you’re interested in games by PlatinumGames and Nintendo, you can check out our other articles here.
Hellena Taylor urges fans to boycott Bayonetta 3, why?
In a series of video messages she posted on Twitter, Hellena Taylor urged fans to boycott Bayonetta 3. Taylor alleged that he was offered only 4 thousand USD to return to the game and criticized PlatinumGames and Nintendo.
In early October 2022, Game Informer reported that Taylor’s role as the voice of Bayonetta had been replaced by Jennifer Hale. At the time, PlatinumGames claimed it was due to Taylor’s schedule, but Taylor now denies it.
In his new video message, Taylor claimed that he had written to PlatinumGames head Hideki Kamiya offering what he called an “immoral” offer to reprise his role. She later claimed that her fear of losing her job caused her to suffer from anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Below are the messages Taylor has been sending through her series of videos:
The Bayonetta franchise earned around $450 million.
As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years – three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts with voice coach Barbara Berkery, and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles.
What do they think about this? What are they offering to pay me? The final offer to do the entire game – as a purchase, flat rate – was USD 4,000.
That’s an insult to me, to the time I’ve put into developing my talent, and to everything I’ve given to the game and the fans.
I am asking fans to boycott this game and instead spend the money you would have spent on this game, and donate it to charity.
I don’t want the world, don’t ask for too much. I only ask for a decent living wage and dignity. What they did was legal, but it was immoral.
If you are someone who cares about others, who cares about the world around you, who cares about who is harmed by these financial decisions, then I urge you to boycott this game.
Fat cats’ cream off the top and leave us with rotten crumbs… I’m not afraid of the NDA. I can’t even afford to run the car, what are they going to do, take my clothes? Good luck to them.
Hellena Taylor
How did Hideki Kamiya respond?
After Taylor’s claims became public, Hideki Kamiya responded to them and called them untrue. “Sad and pathetic about the attitude of unrighteousness. That’s all I can say now,” Kamiya wrote on Twitter.
Beyond Kamiya’s comments on the situation, PlatinumGames has yet to make an official comment. A now-deleted tweet (via VGC) from former PlatinumGames producer JP Kellams reads:
I was very disappointed. The Bayonetta team did not deserve what happened to them today. I don’t believe that’s the full story. Not at all. I hate that all the internet knows is retweets. I love Hellena. I love this team. But what happened today was shameful.
JP Kellams
Bayonetta 3 will be released on Nintendo Switch on 28 October 2022.
