As Nintendo’s Bayonetta 3 closes in on its long-awaited release date of Oct. 28, the video game franchise’s fanbase has been rocked by a statement shared by the series’ original lead voice actor, Hellena Taylor, who shares that she did not return for the new entry after being offered only $4,000 to reprise her role.
“The Bayonetta franchise made approximately $450 million. That’s not including merchandise. As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years,” Taylor shared in a statement on her Twitter. “What did they think this was worth? What did they offer to pay me? The final offer to do the whole game — as a buyout, flat rate — was $4,000. This is an insult to me [and] the amount of time that I took to work on my talent and everything I’ve given to this game and to the fans.”
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Taylor first voiced the character Bayonetta, a shape-shifting witch who can summon demons, in the action series’ first 2009 entry, released by Sega and developed by PlatinumGames. PlatinumGames partnered with publisher Nintendo for the sequel Bayonetta 2 in 2014, in which Taylor reprised her voice role. Beyond the main franchise entries, Taylor is also credited as the voice actor for Bayonetta in the fighting video games Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Before directly addressing the matter, Taylor’s absence from Bayonetta 3 had been raising eyebrows among the franchise’s fanbase for some time. In the new game, Bayonetta is voiced by Jennifer Hale, who is seen as one of the more prominent voice acting talents working today, with big credits like Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid and Halo 5: Guardians.
“I am asking the fans to boycott this game and instead spend the money that you would’ve spent on this game donating it to charity,” Taylor continues. “I didn’t ask for too much. I was just asking for a decent, dignified living wage. What they did was legal, as it was immoral… I decided to do [this] to stand up with people all over the world who do not get paid properly for their talents. Fat cats cream off the top and leave us the rotten crumbs.”
Taylor shared that she has suffered from depression and anxiety regarding her financial situation, which had escalated to the point that she “became suicidal” at one point.
The actress also offered an explanation of the timeline behind her decision to bow out from the franchise, sharing that she was asked to audition for the role again before receiving an “insulting” offer. After writing to Hideki Kamiya, Bayonetta series creator, she received a response from the developer saying that “the memory of first meeting me as Bayonetta is a memory [he holds] dear.” That note came with the revised offer of $4,000.
“I am not afraid of a non-disclosure agreement. I can’t even afford to run a car. What are they going to do? Take my clothes? Good luck to them,” Taylor continued. “Bayonetta always stands up for those with less power and what is right. In doing this, you stand with her.”
Kamiya, whose Twitter account is restricted, has had backlash directed towards him on the social media platform. Although the developer has not directly acknowledged Taylor’s allegations, he shared a vague message as the voice actor’s statement began to circulate, writing “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth.”
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