‘Bayonetta’ Voice Actor Hellena Taylor Says She Was Offered Only $4,000 for ‘Bayonetta 3’

Nintendo is set to release the highly anticipated Bayonetta 3 at the end of October, but series voice actor Hellena Taylor is urging fans not to buy it. Taylor, who voiced the title character in 2009’s Bayonetta and 2014’s Bayonetta 2, called for the boycott of the upcoming game. The reason? After voicing the title character of a multi-million dollar gaming franchise, Taylor was offered an insulting $4,000 to reprise her role for Bayonetta 3.

Taylor took to Twitter to call for the boycott in a series of videos, where she says, “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, … 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.”

Taylor continued, “I’m asking the fans to boycott this game, and instead, spend the money you would have spent on this game donating to charity,” adding “I was just asking for a decent, dignified, living wage. What they did was legal, but 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 was replaced by Jennifer Hale, who has voiced characters in Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, and Halo 5: Guardians. Neither Nintendo nor PlatinumGames have responded to Taylor’s video, but series creator  Hideki Kamiya tweeted a vague statement reading “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now.” Hale has also not commented, but she is likely under a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from doing so.

Many voice actors and gamers took to social media in support of Taylor:

(Featured image: Nintendo/PlatinumGames)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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