A pay dispute is putting a cloud over Nintendo upcoming Bayonetta 3 game. Due to “many overlapping circumstances,” PlatinumGames announced earlier this month that Hellena Taylor would not be returning as the voice of Bayonetta in the upcoming third installment of the Bayonetta series, titled Bayonetta 3.
The voice actor has now directly responded to this in an update, taking to social media to clarify in her own words why she did not voice the character in the third game. This was done in response to the previous statement.
To make a long story short, she believes that the offer of $4,000 USD “to do the complete game…as a fixed charge” was an “insult” to her, especially considering the amount of time she spent working on her ability and everything that she had contributed to the fans and the series. In addition to this, she asserts that the “Bayonetta franchise produced an approximate $450 million dollars…not including products.”
Now, Taylor is urging fans to “boycott this game” and give the money they would have spent on tickets to charitable organizations instead.
“All I asked for was a good, dignified living salary, and what they did was perfectly legal but completely immoral,” she said.
In the second segment of her video message, Taylor explains that she “decided to do it to stand up in solidarity with people all over the world who do not get paid properly for their talents.” She continues by stating that this is not acceptable, and she also mentions that she had been suffering from mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, which led to much darker thoughts. According to the sounds of things, she may also have broken a non-disclosure agreement:
“I am not concerned about the non-disclosure agreement because I barely have enough money to keep my car running; what could they possibly do to me? Take my clothes, and I wish those people the best of luck. By taking this action, you are taking a stand alongside Bayonetta, who defends those who have less power and fights for what is morally just at all times. I am grateful to you “.
In the third and last section of her message, Taylor provided some further information by noting that she had an audition for the job and “passed with flying colours.”
She was then presented with the opportunity, but she declined it in favor of getting in touch with Hideki Kamiya in order to ostensibly inquire about the “value” of her talent. It was at this point that the business extended an offer of $4,000 USD to her. The following is what she had to say regarding how Platinum’s reaction came about earlier this month:
“Platinum had the nerve to imply that I was busy and that they couldn’t make it work…well, I had nothing but time,” the speaker said.
In one final remark made inside the same section, Taylor remarked that she had “no right” to come into the spotlight as Bayonetta and wished the new voice actor (Jennifer Hale) “all the joy in the world” and “all the jobs.” She also indicated that Platinum would “definitely” try to make a spin-off, but fans were urged not to purchase the game because of this possibility.
“I invented that voice, she has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta… they’ll definitely try and produce a spin-off with Jan, don’t purchase that either,” Bayonetta says of PlatinumGames. “I made that voice.”