According to Hellena Taylor, the original voice of Cereza (aka Bayonetta), she decided to break the silence imposed by her non-disclosure agreement because of a meagre offer.

 

Taylor posted several videos on Twitter over the weekend, and we won’t quote all of them because, for example, the fourth one leans towards a biblical reference. Still, we’ve quoted the gist of what the voice actor said: “The Bayonetta franchise made an approximated $450 million, and that’s not including merchandise. As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years – three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts with voice coach Barbara Berkery and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles. And 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 four thousand US dollars. This is an insult to me, the amount of time I took to work on my talent, and everything I have given to this game and the fans.

I am asking the fans to boycott this game and instead spend the money you would have spent on it and donate it to charity. I didn’t want the world and didn’t ask for too much. I was asking for a decent, dignified living wage. What they did was legal, but it was immoral. If you’re someone who cares about people, who cares about the world around you, who cares about who gets hurt by these financial decisions, then I urge you to boycott this game. Fat cats cream off the top and leave us with rotten crumbs… I’m 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,” said Taylor, who is not to be heard in the upcoming Bayonetta 3, as Jennifer Hale has replaced her (while also blocking Taylor in dubbing Cereza…?!).

According to PlatinumGames, Taylor is not being heard in the Nintendo Switch-exclusive game because she was busy, to which the voice actor said she had time, meaning she could have made it. She pointed out that she struggles with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts due to lack of work, so she was pretty distressed, and no wonder: a quick Google search reveals the first hit reveals that the annual US salary for a voice actor ranges from $13,500 to $206,000. Even if you consider it a one-off payment, 4000 is a staggeringly low number by comparison! And it was not the first offer…

But what was PlatinumGames’ reaction? Officially, nothing. No wonder many people turned to Hideki Kamiya, the IP’s creator, and he got a lot of criticism. In response, he (as usual) started blocking his audience, who criticized him and then wrote, “Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That’s what all I can tell now. By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES.” In his pinned tweet, he called those who do not adhere to his rules (e.g., not writing to him in Japanese) insects. His reaction only made matters worse, so he first posted a food photo, then tried to use a different Twitter client (because he was bothered by the number of people criticizing him in the form of quote retweets, which he could not read), and finally limited his response to only those he mentioned. Twitter also restricted his profile.

We don’t know what the truth is, but Taylor is essentially putting her career on the line by speaking out, and if PlatinumGames (and Nintendo; after all, they may have funded the development as the publisher) offered her so tiny, it reflects poorly on the Japanese studio (especially for the game that is due out on October 28). The work has to be paid for. We can all agree on that, can’t we?

Source: VGC

Friends, Worldlings, Bayonutters. Hear ye!#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

Part 2. #PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/iiaiVp1lyn

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

Part 3#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/4ii7hBpCxo

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

Part 4#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/VGhaY1IFRP

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022