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Bayonetta 3 is set to launch on October 28, which is a little more than a week away. While all the focus should be on the game’s release, some of the excitement has been marred by allegations being made toward developer PlatinumGames. The allegations come from former Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor who alleges that Platinum offered her an insultingly low salary for her to reprise the signature role. This came after word from Platinum that Taylor wouldn’t be starring as Bayonetta again due to scheduling conflicts. Taylor begged to differ and took to social media to detail her side of the story:
Friends, Worldlings, Bayonutters. Hear ye!#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022
In short, Taylor asserts that $4,000 is a paltry sum for work that will likely result in millions of dollars in sales for both Nintendo and Platinum. Taylor also doesn’t seem to care much for veteran voice actress Jennifer Hale taking over the part, saying that she has “no right” to be assuming the mantle of the character. Finally, Taylor also called on fans to boycott Bayonetta 3 as a result of this situation. Taylor’s videos resulted in a handful of different, notable responses. Let’s start with Hideki Kamiya, Bayonetta 3’s director:
Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now.
By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) October 15, 2022
Kamiya is a native of Japan, so the phrasing of this tweet is a bit hard to decipher. The impression most have gotten from it is that Kamiya thinks that Taylor is being less than honest about how things shook out between her and Platinum, but he has yet to offer any further elaboration. In the days that followed, however, journalist Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reported that sources have claimed Taylor’s version of the story contains a number of relevant omissions.
First off, the alleged Platinum insider says that Taylor was actually offered $3,000 to $4,000 per four-hour recording session with an estimated minimum of five sessions to complete. This meant a total minimum payment of around $15,000 for Taylor’s work. Platinum was apparently determined to see Taylor reprise her iconic role, but the terms described here weren’t to the actress’s liking and she rejected the offer. Taylor then countered, requesting a six-figure sum for her work and residual payments from sales of Bayonetta 3. It’s here that talks between the two parties fizzled out and Platinum decided to move on to actress Jennifer Hale for the part.
Taylor would go on to respond to Schreier’s inquiries about the negotiations saying that Platinum is lying and that she stands by what she posted on Twitter. Meanwhile, Hale has offered her own take on the situation up to this point, which she summed up Twitter:
About Bayonetta 3: pic.twitter.com/e4VrclEQIm
— Jennifer Hale (@jhaletweets) October 17, 2022
In short, Hale can’t say much due to an NDA she signed with Platinum, but states that she has the utmost respect for her peers in the voice acting community and that she hopes fans will still check out the game, which the development team has put so much hard work into crafting.
That’s all the scuttlebutt so far surrounding Bayonetta 3 and the recasting of the titular role. Regardless of which side anyone takes in this debate, it’s nonetheless saddening to see controversy swirling around a game that so many fans have waited years to play. Does this situation make you less inclined to purchase Bayonetta 3? Share with us in the comments.
Source: Hellena Taylor Twitter Page, Hideki Kamiya Twitter Page, Bloomberg, and Jennifer Hale Twitter Page
