Major Conflicting Info Arrives in the Bayonetta 3 Voice Actor Payment Controversy

Bayonetta 3 payment cost original voice actor Hellena Taylor Bloomberg Jason Schreier Hideki Kamiya PlatinumGames $3,000 $4,000 for five sessions $15,000 six figures deal counter offer with residuals

This past Saturday, original Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor took to Twitter to explain that she did not reprise her role in Bayonetta 3 because PlatinumGames only offered her an “insulting” $4,000 for the entire project. At the time, PlatinumGames vice president Hideki Kamiya called Taylor’s claims “sad and deplorable” in their “attitude of untruth,” but frankly, there has been a lot of context missing to validate the full extent of both Taylor and Kamiya’s claims. Now, Jason Schreier at Bloomberg reports new details from anonymous sources claiming that Platinum offered Hellena Taylor more payment than she had claimed to appear in Bayonetta 3, but Taylor dismisses these claims as lies.

Recommended Videos

According to two sources familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by Bloomberg, PlatinumGames offered Hellena Taylor at least five voice acting sessions in Bayonetta 3, with each one paying between $3,000 and $4,000 for four hours in the studio. If this information is accurate, Taylor would have made at least $15,000 across five sessions. These sources further state that Taylor made a counter, asking for a six-figure payment and residuals for Bayonetta 3. Platinum rejected this proposal, but negotiations were reportedly “lengthy” before it finally chose to replace Taylor with a new Bayonetta voice actor. Taylor was allegedly offered a cameo in Bayonetta 3 with a fee for one session, but she declined.

About this alleged payment narrative, Hellena Taylor characterized it as “an absolute lie” to Bloomberg and said PlatinumGames is “trying to save their ass and the game.” Frankly, either version of events sounds highly plausible.

In her first Twitter video this past Saturday, Taylor described the Bayonetta franchise, without including merchandising, as having generated $450 million, which is a number we were not able to verify and may be inflated, albeit almost certainly without any malice intended. Perhaps she did ask for six figures, believing she was that fundamental to the franchise. (Platinum has since demonstrated it does not believe she is that fundamental, having recast Bayonetta with Jennifer Hale.) Conversely, it’s not overly difficult to believe that Hideki Kamiya could be a challenging person to work with either, and why would Taylor jeopardize her career by making dramatic lies now?

We begin where we started with this story — missing some crucial context. It’s also entirely possible and even likely that both Hellena Taylor and PlatinumGames believe they are each in the moral right about what has happened with the voice acting in Bayonetta 3.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Monopoly GO Players Are Fed Up With Golden Stickers
Monopoly GO Missing Golden Stickers
Read Article MLB The Show 24 Update Makes Players Look Downright Terrifying
A player with a messed up face in MLB The Show 24.
Read Article Rugby 24 Has Been Delayed for a Bizarre Reason
Two poster-style figures throwing a rugby ball in Rugby 24.
Related Content
Read Article Monopoly GO Players Are Fed Up With Golden Stickers
Monopoly GO Missing Golden Stickers
Read Article MLB The Show 24 Update Makes Players Look Downright Terrifying
A player with a messed up face in MLB The Show 24.
Read Article Rugby 24 Has Been Delayed for a Bizarre Reason
Two poster-style figures throwing a rugby ball in Rugby 24.
Author
John Friscia
Former Managing Editor at The Escapist. I have been writing about video games since 2018 and editing writing on IT, project management, and video games for around a decade. I have an English degree, but Google was a more valuable learning resource. I taught English in South Korea for a year in 2018, and it was exponentially more fun than living in Pennsylvania. My major passions in life are SNES, Japanese RPGs, Berserk, and K-pop. I'm currently developing the game Boss Saga with my brother, which is guaranteed to change your life and you should buy it.