Bayonetta's original voice actress Helena Taylor responded to online backlash today, stressing how all she asked for was a fair, living wage.
Taking to Twitter again, the voice actress who won't be returning in Bayonetta 3, Helena Taylor clarified some aspects of the situation following the reports that said that she was offered a total of $15,000 over at least five recording sessions. According to the actress, the original offer was $10,000, which was then bumped up to $15,000 after talking with Hideki Kamiya.
It has come to my attention that some people are calling me a liar and golddigger. I feel the need to defend myself and my reputation in the industry.
As I posted on part three of my video thread. I explained that their first offer was too low. That offer was 10,000 dollars total. Remember, this is 450 million dollar franchise, (not counting merchandise.) I then wrote in Japanese to Hideki Kamiya, asking for what I was worth. I thought that as a creative, he would understand. He replied saying how much he valued my contribution to the game and how much the fans wanted me to voice the game. I was then offered an extra 5,0000!
The increased offer, however, was not enough for the Bayonetta original voice actress, who declined to voice the character again. 11 months later, she was contacted again to voice some lines for $4000, an offer she refused as well.
So, I declined to voice the game. I then heard nothing from them for 11 months. They then offered me a flat fee to voice some lines for 4,000 dollars. Any other lies, such as 4,000 for 5 sessions are total fabrications.
There were not “extensive negotiations.” I’ve also been informed of ridiculous fictions, such as I asked for 250,000 dollars. I am a team player. I was just asking for a fair, living wage in line with the value that I bring to this game.
It is a shame that things have come to this, as Helena Taylor's acting has elevated Bayonetta in every appearance the character has made. The change of voice actresses and everything it has brought doesn't seem to have impacted the quality of Bayonetta 3, which is setting out to be an amazing game, as highlighted by Nathan in his preview. The game launches this week, on October 28th, on Nintendo Switch.
Bayonetta 3 retains the series’ trademark accessible yet deep core gameplay, although it will be interesting to see how the Demon Slave mechanic is received by hardcore fans. The system is fairly obviously designed to make Bayonetta more approachable for casual players, and sure enough, you can use demons to muscle through the game’s challenges to some extent. That said, in the right hands, the system ought to generate the series’ most dizzying combos yet. And really, if you can’t find some joy in pummeling baddies with a giant lizard of bikini-clad demon lady, you might be taking this all a bit too seriously. I suspect Bayonetta 3 will smash most wary fans’ inhibitions.
