Over the weekend, you may have seen the news where original Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor broke a non-disclosure agreement and claimed she was only offered $4,000 (USD) to reprise her role for Bayonetta 3. Taylor's videos gained traction from several gaming outlets along with several news organizations that don't typically specialize in gaming related news.
Taylor, as part of her series of videos, said flatly that she was only offered $4,000 for her role, a figure that seemed to be incredibly below what she should be making for voicing the lead in an established franchise. She blamed Nintendo and developer PlatinumGames for this meager offering. Not only that, but Taylor also said that fans should boycott Bayonetta 3.
"If you’re 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."
The ensuing Twitter drama was intense. Several prominent figures within the industry, along with non-gaming voice actors, chimed in to suggest that what she was offered was incredibly low. Others chimed in to share the low rates they are also offered for various roles, or recounting how they often don't even know the game they are working recording lines for. People were defending Taylor. People were defending Platinum and Nintendo. Some people discovered that Taylor has made some questionable statements and Twitter likes in the past, which opened up a whole other can of worms.
It was a mess.
Today, a new report came out from Jason Schreier and Bloomberg that says the $4,000 figure stated by Taylor isn't the whole story. Bloomberg's report cites "two people familiar with the negotiations" along with documentation that Bloomberg was able to review prior to publication.
The report from Bloomberg says that Platinum Games "sought to hire Taylor for at least five (recording) sessions." Each of these sessions would pay Taylor between $3,000 to $4,000 for four hours in the studio. Five sessions at the lower end of $3,000 would mean Taylor would have received at least $15,000 for the job, or $20,000 at most. Even at the low end of $15,000, this payout would have been a significant increase over what Taylor was paid for Bayonetta 2.
In response to this offer from Platinum, Taylor reported asked for a six-figure sum as well as the option to earn residuals on the game. Platinum declined that request after several negotiation sessions, and eventually started taking auditions for a new actor. This eventually led to Platinum hiring known voice actor Jennifer Hale to voice Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3.
Platinum later extended a new offer to Taylor to voice a cameo in the game for the same $3,000 to $4,000 per session fee. According to Bloomberg's sources, Taylor turned this offer down.
Jennifer Hale, whom has been caught up in this crossfire, did issue a brief statement about the current situation. She suggests, "everyone keep in mind that this game has been created by an entire team of hard-working, dedicated people, and I hope everyone will keep an eye open about what they've created." Hale says that due to a non-disclosure agreement, she is unable to elaborate on any particulars of the situation.
PlatinumGames and Nintendo did not offer public comments on this new report. Kamiya previously called Taylor's allegations "sad and deplorable" in a Twitter post.
In an email response to Bloomberg, Taylor says that what Bloomberg's sources told them is "an absolute lie." She continues on to say that Platinum is "trying to save their ass and the game." Taylor says she stands by everything said in the video. This includes statements saying that she "created (Bayonetta's) voice" and that new hire Jennifer Hale "has no right to say she is the voice of Bayonetta." Taylor even states that Hal "has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta."
The documentation that Bloomberg was provided showing that Taylor was offered far more than she claims was also seen and verified by VGC.
