Voice actress Hellena Taylor, known for playing Bayonetta, has taken to Twitter to dispute a claim made by PlatinumGames. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the role of Bayonetta had been recast, and that Jennifer Hale would be taking over for Hellena Taylor, because of scheduling conflicts making it difficult to reprise the role, at least according to PlatinumGames. However, shortly after that announcement, Taylor posted a series of video messages on Twitter, explaining that the decision had nothing to do with any difficulties in regard to timing or scheduling, and instead was due to the fact that Platinum offered only $4,000 for her to voice act the entire game. She then asked for Bayonetta fans to boycott the game, and instead take the money they would have spent purchasing the game, and donate it to a charity.

I understand that boycotting this game is a personal choice and there are those that won’t, and that’s fine. But, if you are 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.

Taylor says she only wanted a livable wage for her performance and fair payment for the time and effort that voicing the protagonist of a video game franchise that has sold over $450 million dollars. PlatinumGames had made Taylor reaudition for the role of Bayonetta, because "sometimes voices change with time", but she was once more chosen to voice the title character in Bayonetta 3. After she was given the part, though, she was given "an insulting offer" by the company. This prompted Taylor to send a letter to the director of Bayonetta 3, Hideki Kamiya, who sent her back a "final offer" of $4,000 to voice all the lines in the game.

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

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

She also spoke about Jennifer Hale, who will be the voice of Bayonetta in the upcoming game, and that she wishes her well, but that she also believes that Hale "has no right to say she is Bayonetta". Taylor mentioned that speaking up about this was a breach of her non-disclosure agreement, but that she has nothing of monetary value to be taken, so she decided to speak up.

Hideki Kamiya responded to the claims with a chain of various Tweets, and a wave of blocking people who Tweeted at him--something he is known to do--to the point that it got him temporarily restricted on the platform. His main reply to Taylor was, "Sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That's what all I can tell now. By the way, BEWARE OF MY RULES", and while the latter half of the message sounds like a threat, it is moreso likely referring to Kamiya's tendency to block Twitter users for breaking his "rules".

People online were upset by this, and some even were blaming Jennifer Hale for taking the role at all. Hale has not yet made any comment on the matter, though she has notably liked numerous Tweets that claim she can't speak on the matter due to NDAs, or that she was unaware of the drama in the first place when she was cast. Other voice actors in the video game industry offered their input, such as Sean Chiplock, who said the $4000 appeared to be "union rate", and that he was paid "approx 2,000-3,000" for his work voicing Revali, Teba, and the Great Deku Tree in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Meanwhile, he says his two offscreen lines in the film Detective Pikachu earned him more money than his work on BOTW, and that even voicing characters in the indie game Freedom Planet was worth more than the voicing roles in BOTW, because unlike video game voice acting work, he was given sales royalties from the role.

 

[linuxares]

Me either, but a simple 'yes' would have painted her in a better light.

Or nothing at all, if you wish to be neutral

 

[FAST6191]

Or nothing at all, if you wish to be neutral

Trouble is many, especially on Twitter, use it as an ideological trap (it is a phrase that comes with a whole load of connotations and implied support for various things, some of which may or may not be all that pleasant). By saying nothing/not saying their magic words* you are "saying everything"/silence is violence and all that and can be dismissed/isolated accordingly. That is probably what the sabre rattling line is intended to ward off, as might be the division line.

Obfuscating language is also a common dodge, though not sure that ranks as it, even if it represents a real position or your position holds some nuance (not a strong suit of the twitter activist, probably a side effect of character limits) or context.

Before it burned itself out you would see something similar with the black lives matter slogan, and woe betide you went one further and said all lives matter.

*can also be a signal boost, see the reverse where said same activist types with put a * in the name of something or someone they dislike but want to speak of but not allow the target an easy search or simple algorithms the chance to see it mentioned and thus increase the popularity of the object of their ire.

 

[linuxares]

@FAST6191 the thing with Twitter is. You can't win. It's always radicals on both sides. By saying nothing is a better stance than saying anything.
I know these Tweeters are as intelligent as a doorknob but atleast the doorknob actually provides a function. So I personally would either said Yes (to get the hate from the radicals there) or stayed quiet (if I wanted the least amount of heat).

 

[solitaire4eva]

Lets be honest here. People how much do you think she should be paid?

 

[Deleted member 586536]

Lets be honest here. People how much do you think she should be paid?

The original offer (according to Jason's reporting from Blomberg) is likely fine or at least vastly better. (15k). 4k as Taylor was making it sound to be (for the full game) was far to low.

 

[xdarkx]

Lets be honest here. People how much do you think she should be paid?

Unless we have anyone here that works as a voice actor for games, I doubt anyone would know.

 

[FAST6191]

Lets be honest here. People how much do you think she should be paid?

As ever something is worth what someone else is willing to pay. As one person is not much of a force to argue (most of the time) some in the distant past created a union that nominally speaks for if not all then enough that they are in turn a force to be reckoned with (so they hope anyway), and possibly union solidarity (I might not understand the first thing about some field but if some company is hiring non union workers/are not a union shop then I don't buy their products sort of thing, not something I have seen in several decades at this point though) that has attempted some things.

In this instance I would be happy to have all my posts for the next week voiced to my satisfaction... I have *checks change on desk* 50p to offer. I probably will not get taken up on my offer and thus we don't have the pleasure of such a thing in the world*.

*give or take the power of technology.


3d throat scanning is also a thing but we will skip that one for today.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/23/world/egyptian-mummy-voice-from-the-dead-scn/index.html

Anyway voice acting is a skill, whether it be active (vocal/speech coaching is a thing that has demonstrable results), passive (some might have picked it up by osmosis), genetics (it controls a lot of things and surely this as well) or some combo of the lot I am not sure and frankly don't much care for these purposes. One that might also not be able to done endlessly and trivially to a point where it is useful by those with the talent (you can wear your voice out from overuse in some of the scenarios here, how close they go to that could be debated -- this is not your everyday podcast and some harsher things would likely be called for). Would consider it a luxury trade largely superflous to requirements, though it is nice to be in a civilisation that can afford such frivolities, and that is not even considering the technology detailed above that make a lot of it obsolete and will so do a lot more still. To that end if it is fun side job/borderline hobby that is basically for beer money then so it goes, if she can wrangle thousands out of a company for half a morning's work then so it goes. Thousands is a bit rich for my taste and being serious would probably put it around the price of a tradesman's rate (several hundred for a day), though that may mean I hope my audio engineer(ing skills) can make the local community theatre peeps or other devs in the office (possibly recorded on a half nice podcast mic with sock over it (cheap pop filter) in whatever room in the office has best acoustics/few foam panels up) sound good.

 

[Jayro]

I love Corridor Digital's videos, their job looks like a fun place to work.

 

[FAST6191]

I love Corridor Digital's videos, their job looks like a fun place to work.

I imagine it is at times but other times it is still going to be drudgery in front of the computer (you see the highlights, manually masking frame by frame is still a task that would have to be done routinely) and if we are still talking money in the entertainment industry then bidding processes for such companies is ever annoying -- see how many effects houses, prop houses and whatnot go bankrupt after a few years as there will always be another hungry firm that just needs a bit of cash flow (even if that is robbing Peter to pay Paul/race to the bottom/that big job has not come for so many before), or group of kids working out of a garage (or corridor as the case may be) or tech rendering previously hard won skills obsolete (while I mentioned manual masking above then modern setups mean it is only super high end that needs doing if they set it up properly in the first place). Or if you prefer while there is a lot of waste there is also a reason it is called Hollywood accounting -- they scheme and scheme to wring every penny they can out of things.
Not to mention you probably still get to edit together a lot of local business adverts and CGI intros to news for nowhere, middle of when they gather that little bit more to not send it to their kid cousin that "knows computers" or local firm that normally edits weddings together.

 

[urbanman2004]

She's also a TERF, which is disgusting.

I don't care a/b that Hellena b!tch, but what's wrong w/ being a TERF though?

 

[Deleted member 586536]

I don't care a/b that Hellena b!tch, but what's wrong w/ being a TERF though?

I will let this definition speak for me. (it's also not text book feminism, as it's not really that tight of a definition. colloquial sense)

 

[Jayro]

I don't care a/b that Hellena b!tch, but what's wrong w/ being a TERF though?

It's transphobic and disgusting. They don't think transwomen should have women's rights.

 

[Xzi]

Well...

If true then yeah, she has nobody to blame but herself for dropping the ball here and misleading people into believing it was $4000 TOTAL, and not per session.

 

[Valwinz]

She's also a TERF, which is disgusting.

i fail to say the issue here if i read this this right she stands with anyone on the side of good so whats the issue

i fail to say the issue here if i read this right she stands with anyone on the side of good so whats the issue
She is shitty for lying but no sure why this tweet here is relevant

 

[Deleted member 194275]

I will let this definition speak for me. (it's also not text book feminism, as it's not really that tight of a definition. colloquial sense)
View attachment 332852

Thank you!!! I was not understanding shit of this discussion, as I was not familiarized with this term.

I really do not saw transphobia on her tweet, I saw just an evasive response in a weird way. I mean, what the hell Sanders supporters, Brexit or whatever has to do with "would bayonetta say trans rights"?

Also she is talking as bayonetta in first person. She is just doing the English dub over an already performed character, she is not even the original actress.

 

[linuxares]

Thank you!!! I was not understanding shit of this discussion, as I was not familiarized with this term.

I really do not saw transphobia on her tweet, I saw just an evasive response in a weird way. I mean, what the hell Sanders supporters, Brexit or whatever has to do with "would bayonetta say trans rights"?

Also she is talking as bayonetta in first person. She is just doing the English dub over an already performed character, she is not even the original actress.

Bayonetta was ONLY English speaking at first. So she was the first to perform the character. However, she doesn't own the character.

 

[pivix]

After all this situation, I started to hate this woman. I just wonder if Platinum games will sue her for defamation.

 

[Deleted member 194275]

After all this situation, I started to hate this woman. I just wonder if Platinum games will sue her for defamation.

She made a stupid decision yes, but hate? Come on, it's not proportional. I don't even believe in a lawsuit, there was no defamation, it was just a labor dispute that became public, in the end it is no big deal. This lady was the one that tried to make this a big deal, but never really was.

 

[subcon959]

She made a stupid decision yes, but hate? Come on, it's not proportional. I don't even believe in a lawsuit, there was no defamation, it was just a labor dispute that became public, in the end it is no big deal. This lady was the one that tried to make this a big deal, but never really was.

It does seem like it became a big deal. Her video had over 10 million views after all. Plus, how many of those people didn't see the follow up article and still think she was treated badly and will boycott the game?

 

[xdarkx]

She made a stupid decision yes, but hate? Come on, it's not proportional. I don't even believe in a lawsuit, there was no defamation, it was just a labor dispute that became public, in the end it is no big deal. This lady was the one that tried to make this a big deal, but never really was.

If PlatinumGames/Nintendo believe it will hurts Bayonetta 3 sales, you can bet there will be a lawsuit. There is also the part where after she posted those videos, I heard a lot of PlatinumGames devs and Jennifer Hale (the current VA for Bayonetta) got harassed, so there may be a lawsuit for that. But I guess this is no big deal specially if someone is getting harassed, right?