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Hellena Taylor, dubbing actress who has given voice to Bayonettacalled on players to boycott Bayonetta 3. The reason? She thinks that PlatinumGames offered her an insulting figure for her work as a voice actress. The post with 9 million views has taken the industry by storm and the problem is getting bigger. The snowball has generated divided reactions, but what has happened so far?
those involved
Hellena Taylor is an actress with a lot of experience in theater, film and television. Her passage through the world of video games is not limited to giving life to Bayonetta but it is his most important participation. In addition to voicing the witch of Umbra in the first titles of the trilogy, she also participated in Super Smash Bros. for WiiU and 3DS, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, anarchy reigns and the English version of the animated film Bayonetta: Bloody Fate.
It seemed that this bond would be unbreakable, but Yusuke Miyata, director of Bayonetta 3stated in an interview for Game Informer that various circumstances made it difficult for Hellena Taylor to return as Bayonetta and that her place would be taken by Jennifer Hale.
Who is the new actress? Jennifer Hale has extensive experience as a voice actress for video games such as metalgear, Metroid Prime, Tales of Symphonia, Mass Effect 3 and many more games. Her experience backs her up, making her a star in the audiovisual industry, this leaves her in doubt about the payment she will receive for having such a broad resume. Could it be that she received a better proposal to be the protagonist of Bayonetta 3?
the trigger
On the night of October 15, Hellena Taylor released a forceful statement directed at fans of Bayonetta. In the video, the actress made it clear that she was insulted when she was offered to record the entire game for just $4,000. This amount seemed insufficient for her preparation and experience as an actress, so she called on players not to buy the game and allocate that money to charity.
Taylor also mentions that she had to do an audition which she passed without problems and at that moment she received the proposal that she thought was an insult. He decided to contact Hideki Kamiya, and although he praised his talent, in the end Platinum Games answered him with the last offer that he rejected because he considers it immoral, taking into account the profits he has generated. Bayonetta.
The last point that Hellena makes is that Jennifer Hale does not have the right to say that she is the new voice of Bayonetta or sign merchandise inspired by the character. According to the statement: she is the only one who can have that honor by being the original voice.
Friends, Worldlings, Bayonutters. Hear ye!#PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan pic.twitter.com/h9lwiX2bBt
— Helena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022
The reaction
After Hellena Taylor’s statement, fans of Bayonetta directed their tweets at Hideki Kamiya, who has a reputation for being short-tempered and short-tempered, at least on social media. Kamiya has a rule to only reply to comments in Japanese. This filter causes all users who dare to write to you in another language to be instantly blocked.
the creator of Bayonetta he took this very seriously and made it clear that he was saddened by the false attitude, as well as recommending to be careful of his rules. This referring to the fact that Hale’s statements were false. After this, he proceeded to block Twitter users without control. This caused the algorithm to detect unusual activity and his account to be suspended.
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
Faced with this clash of personalities, different stars of the video game industry reacted with different points of view. One of them was Bryan Dechart, an actor who played Connor in Detroit: Become Human and replied directly to Kamiya with a tweet in Japanese. The message says that “whoever treats others well receives the same treatment. You make us all sad. Greed is ugly.” This opinion did not have a response by Kamiya but was supported by many users. In another tweet, Dechart took the opportunity to explain that in many cases, there are actors who, due to lack of work, accept low wages and when an actor demands fair payment, those who seek talent choose to hire a similar voice for a lower cost. The atmosphere became so tense that Dechart directly attacked Platinum Games and its managers, calling them greedy clowns. Lastly, he added that he hopes these unfair practices will end soon.
Another actor who provided some interesting tidbits was Sean Chiplock, who voiced Revali, Teba, and the Great Deku Tree in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Sean said in a Tweet that he received between $2,000 and $3,000 for voicing all three characters. The amount was calculated by the hours of work in the studio. He also adds that it was a long time with three characters in the same Nintendo game. Finally, he mentions that he made more money acting for two characters in an independent game: Freedom Planetthanks to the fact that they gave him royalties for his work.
I was paid approx $2,000-$3000 overall because it was based on the total number of hours in the studio (which was higher because of voicing 3 characters in a single game).
I made MORE from voicing Spade/Dail in Freedom Planet 1 because *that* generously gave me sales royalties. https://t.co/37tDNdshOU
— Sean Chiplock SOON @ Anime Texas (Woodlands, TX) (@sonicmega) October 15, 2022
The last to speak on this subject was Jennifer Hale, the new voice of Bayonetta, who was empathic with the dubbing actors guild, exhorting respect for their work with fair payment for their services. She also invited the players to take into account the work of all those involved in Bayonetta 3 who would be affected by boycotting the game. In short, his position is neutral and he hopes that the problem will come to a common agreement.
the other truth
Hellena Taylor’s statements have been taken very seriously, leaving an impact on the industry but also on society by seeking fair value for the experience and work of the actress. Hellena’s video has more than 9.8 million views and all kinds of comments. However, recently published data that can change the picture.
These data were provided by Jason Schreirer to the digital media Bloomberg. In the investigation, it is mentioned that the offer was approximately $3,000 to $4,000 dollars for 4-hour sessions in the recording studio. It was expected to be more than 5 sessions, so the budget is $15,000 dollars, more or less.
The surprise
Unexpectedly, Hellena Taylor admitted that PlatinumGames offered her a total of $10,000 for all her work on Bayonetta 3, a figure that he called ridiculous when taking into account that the franchise is worth more than 450 million dollars, according to the actress. This seemed unfair to him and contacting Kamiya added an additional $5,000 to her offer. After declining the total of $15,000, Taylor received one last offer to record some lines, probably as a cameo. It was for this special participation that she was offered the $4,000 mentioned at the beginning, according to her Taylor. She also attacked the developers of Bayonetta 3 saying that they are ambitious and corrupt, as well as stating that they want to discredit her by using powerful journalists, referencing Jason Schreier’s post.
Finally, whoever voiced Bayonetta mentioned that for the first game she received 3,000 pounds sterling and for the second a little more, making clear her intention to bring Cereza to life a third time. In addition, he took the opportunity again to motivate players not to buy the game and allocate their money to charity.
The journalist assures that, according to his sources, Hellena Taylor rejected the offer because he asked for an amount of 6 figures and royalties for the products derived from the game, so PlatinumGames opted for another actress for the third installment.
To give voice to the affected, Jason Schreirer sought out Taylor, who very annoyed clarified that this information was false and everything said by the sources is an absolute lie. According to the actress, “Platinum Games is just trying to save her butt.” “I would like to put this damn franchise in the past and frankly, get on with my life in theater.”
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. see thread #PlatinumGames #Nintendo #Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #Bayonutters #Boycott #NintendoEurope #NintendoAmerica #NintendoJapan
— Helena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022
one last thought
Hellena Taylor finds herself in the eye of the hurricane demanding what seems fair to her, a fight to have her work rewarded with fair pay. She also takes the opportunity to dignify the work of the actors’ guild in the dubbing industry and try to stop the alleged practices of abuse and arrogance by creators such as Hideki Kamiya and PlatinumGames. On the other hand, the boycott has its consequences. Not buying the game would affect everyone involved in the production of the game. Which includes designers, programmers, voice actors, musicians, and other creatives who are part of the PlatinumGames team. Players would also miss out on the opportunity to play Bayonetta 3 after a long wait.
It will be necessary to see if there are more loose ends in this conflict that could put weight in the balance towards any of those involved and in the end, make it clearer if justice is being done or not. Remember that as a player and consumer you have the last word. Bayonetta 3 It will arrive on Nintendo Switch on October 28. Here you will find more information about the new installment.
Related Video: Bayonetta 3 – Gameplay Trailer
