The Bayonetta 3 voice actor controversy prompted various sources to dispute claims about Hellena Taylor’s proposed pay for the project.
According to Bloomberg’s latest report, PlatinumGames planned to bring back Taylor for her starring role with roughly $3,000 – $4,000 offered per session for a total of five, 4-hour sessions. Taylor would have earned between $15,000 to $20,000 for her work in Bayonetta 3 if she accepted. However, Taylor reportedly countered the offer by requesting a six-figure sum and residuals.
Negotiations between PlatinumGames and Taylor fell apart following her counter offer. Eventually, Jennifer Hale was brought into the project to perform as Bayonetta’s voice actor in Bayonetta 3. Taylor denies making the counter offer, but VGC sources corroborated Bloomberg’s report. A requested sum was not mentioned by VGC’s sources, but sources close to the outlet confirmed the residuals offer was made. In response, Taylor states the $15,000+ offer was “an absolute lie, and a complete joke.”
Taylor garnered millions of views on Twitter with four video messages detailing her side of the story. She wished fans of her work and Bayonetta would boycott Bayonetta 3 and donate to charity. Shortly after the videos were published, she gained support of many prominent voice actors in the community that wished to see fellow talent receive adequate pay.
Hideki Kamiya responded to Taylor, stating that her claims were untrue. However, Kamiya was met with severe backlash from the gaming community and eventually deactivated his Twitter account. Kamiya reactivated his Twitter account shortly after the debacle took place.
Current Bayonetta voice actor Jennifer Hale responded to the Bayonetta 3 controversy. Although she’s unable to speak about specific details due to a non-disclosure agreement, she hopes the situation between Taylor and PlatinumGames is resolved respectfully. Hale hopes fans consider the developers behind Bayonetta 3 and the hard work they’ve put into the project.
Nintendo and PlatinumGames did not respond to any of the outlets for comment.