Former Bayonetta voice actress Hellena Taylor took to Twitter to defend herself against claims that she is a ‘liar and gold digger’ in relation to an ongoing Bayonetta 3 controversy regarding the payment for reprising his role as the titular character.
This past weekend, Taylor took to Twitter to vent his frustration at only being offered $4,000 to voice Bayonetta in the upcoming game. Following this, articles by Jason Schrier of Bloomberg and Andy Robinson of VGC – which cited multiple sources and documents – which contradicted Taylor’s account, she was only offered $4,000 to reprise her role as Bayonetta.
Today, the comedian released a new statement via Twitter in which she sought to defend herself and her reputation in the industry.
Reports suggested that PlatinumGames attempted to hire Taylor for up to five four-hour sessions, paying between $3,000 and $4,000 per session. The total fee would have been around $15,000, which was far more than Taylor had been paid for previous titles, according to VGC.
Taylor reportedly turned down that offer and demanded a six-figure sum and residual payments in exchange for his involvement in the project.
In a series of tweets, Taylor said PlatinumGames’ initial offer – which she rejected – would have been $10,000 in total, and that following her correspondence with Hideki Kamiya, she been offered an additional $5,000.
Taylor says she turned down the $15,000 and 11 months later also turned down an offer of $4,000 to voice “certain lines” as a package deal.
According to Taylor, there were no in-depth discussions and claims that he was offered $4,000 for 5 recording sessions are, in his own words, “total fabrications”. Additionally, she denies negotiating a six-figure payout.
“There were no ‘thorough negotiations,'” Taylor tweeted. “I was also made aware of ridiculous fictions, like I asked for $250,000. I’m a team player. I was just asking for a fair and decent pay in line with the value I bring to this game.”
It has come to my attention that some people call me a liar and a gold digger. I feel the need to defend myself and my reputation in the industry. See the thread #PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022
The veteran voice actor also said she was paid an “astonishingly low” £3,000 for the original Bayonetta game, and only “a bit more” for Bayonetta 2.
Taylor ended the Twitter thread by telling her supporters that all the money she received from fan signatures was donated to charity.
Friends, Worldlings, Bayonutters. Listen !#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022
On October 15, Taylor posted a series of videos on Twitter in which she accused PlatinumGames – the developers of the Bayonetta franchise – of paying her what she described as an insulting rate to voice the game.
In the videos, Taylor explained that she rejected an initial “insulting offer” from PlatinumGames to reprise her role in Bayonetta 3 – a franchise she says is worth $450 million. She then wrote to series director Hideki Kamiya to – in Taylor’s own words – “ask him what I’m worth”.
According to Taylor, Kamiya responded, explaining that he enjoyed his work on the show. He then reportedly offered her a US$4,000 package to voice the game, which she declined, prompting PlatinumGames to approach Mass Effect’s Jennifer Hale for the role.
The videos Taylor posted have since collectively been viewed more than 10 million times and sparked a debate around the payment of voice actors in the gaming industry amid ongoing controversy.
They also cast a shadow over the impending release of Bayonetta 3 which is expected to be one of Nintendo’s biggest releases this holiday season.
Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN
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