Bayonetta's English voice actor Hellena Taylor calls out PlatinumGames, says was offered $4K to voice character

Bayonetta 3, PlatinumGames' upcoming action game, is easily one of the most anticipated Nintendo exclusive titles of the year.

However, everything might not be sunshine and roses for the Japanese developer, as Hellena Taylor, the iconic voice actor known for portraying Bayonetta in the last two games, took to Twitter to express her disappointment regarding the meager pay offered by PlatinumGames for voicework.

Taylor's tweet included videos of her talking directly to fans, expressing why she chose not to voice the iconic Umbra Witch in the upcoming third entry. She cited the low pay offered by the Japanese development studio, despite her voicing the main character of the series for more than a decade.

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Hellena Taylor expresses her frustration over insultingly low pay offered by PlatinumGames for Bayonetta 3

Hellena Taylor has been voicing the lead character of the Bayonetta series for over a decade, making the Umbra Witch instantly recognizable by her voice. She basically brought the character to life with her fabulous voice work.

Thus, it immediately felt wrong when PlatinumGames announced that Taylor was not assuming her duties for Bayonetta 3. The developer cited her busy schedule as the reason for her absence. In a heartfelt message, the actor revealed:

"This is an insult to me. The amount of time I took to work on my talent, and everything that I have given to this game and to the fans. I am asking the fans to boycott this game and instead spend the money that you would have spent on this game donating to charity. I didn’t want the world. I didn’t ask for too much. I was just asking for a decent, dignified, living wage. What they did was legal, but it was immoral."

In her Twitter thread, Hellena stated that she had "nothing but time" and voluntarily chose not to voice the character she gave her life to, all because of the meager $4K proposition laid by PlatinumGames.

In her Twitter clips, while Hellena wished all the success to the new voice actor, Jennifer Hale, she asked fans to boycott the upcoming third entry in the franchise. The actress urged them to instead donate the money to charity, stating:

"I understand that boycotting this game is a personal choice and there are those that won’t, and that’s fine. But, if you are someone who cares about people, who cares about the world around you, who cares about who gets hurt with these financial decisions, then I urge you to boycott this game."

Citing a broader cause for her fight, she elaborated:

"I decided to do it to stand up in solidarity with people all over the world who do not get paid properly for their talents."

The statements made by Taylor shed light on the broader mistreatment of voice actors and developers in big AAA game development studios. It is no secret that most big name publishers usually underpay their employees, be it development staff, QA team, or even the voice and motion capture artists.

It remains to be seen how PlatinumGames and their treatment of the legendary voice actor will affect Bayonetta 3's sales after its release on October 28, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.