PlatinumGames'”Bayonetta 3″ for Nintendo Switch is set to be released on Oct. 28 after voice actress Hellena Taylor called for a boycott of the title due to low wages.
Taylor had been the main voice actress of the “Bayonetta” video game series, playing the role of the witch and various other characters. She had been approached by the game studio behind the title for a reprisal of her role in “Bayonetta 3,” an offer which she declined.
Taylor explained in a series of Twitter videos her reasons, which included being the low wage voice actors receive in the industry and an “insulting wage.”
She was replaced by Jennifer Hale, known for her role as Commander Shepard in the “Mass Effect” series.
There are conflicting statements about the wage. Taylor stated in her videos that she was offered a flat rate of $4,000 for her reprisal of the titular role in “Bayonetta 3.”
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that Taylor had been offered a minimum of $15,000 for her voice acting and added that he had seen the drawn up contracts.
Schreier noted that she had been offered between $3,000 and $4,000 for five recording sessions. He added that Taylor had asked for a six-figure salary along with residuals.
As I said in the story and on Twitter, I have seen written evidence of Hellena Taylor being offered at least $15,000 for her work on the game.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) October 18, 2022
Schreier has not officially spoken with anyone representing PlatinumGames.
Taylor has denied his claims.
There’s been no official statement from the studio over Taylor’s or Schreier’s claims, but “Bayonetta” director Hideki Kamiya posted on Twitter: “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth.”
Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now.
By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) October 15, 2022
Low wages and rates have been an issue in the video game industry for years. In 2016, there was a video game voice actor strike that lasted 340 days against nine publishers in the industry. It was the longest strike in the history of the Screen Actors Guild.
SAG-AFTRA signed an agreement that led to an increase in wages for union voice actors.
