Bayonetta's Voice Actor Hellena Taylor Wants To Boycott Bayonetta 3

Hideki Kamiya’s Bayonetta is one of the most iconic action-adventure games developed and published in the world. With its upcoming sequel, Bayonetta 3, releasing on 28th October 2022, fans have been eagerly waiting to play Kamiya’s next masterpiece.

However, amid recent news involving the talented voices behind the characters receiving poor wages, that admiration has quickly turned sour. On 15th October 2022, Hellena Taylor, Bayonetta’s leading voice actor for the past few games, announced that she wouldn't be reprising her role.

This came after she was allegedly offered a horrendously low wage for Bayonetta 3. As a result, Taylor has called out the game's creators, asking fellow Bayonetta community members to boycott the upcoming title in response to their “immoral” offer. 

Bayonetta Voice Actress Reveals “Immoral” Wage Offer

It is reasonable to expect that most voice actors, especially ones portraying prominent characters from AAA-titled games like Bayonetta, would be remunerated with proper (if not lucrative) wages for their work.

However, Taylor's recent honest unveiling of these allegedly "immoral" and harsh proposals has shown the darker side of Bayonetta's creators.

In a series of videos uploaded to Twitter on 15th October 2022, Taylor asked the world to boycott Bayonetta 3 and "spend the money" fans would initially use on the game to donate to charity.

Accordingly, she explained that Bayonetta's creators allegedly didn't show her a "decent, dignified, living wage" proposal and essentially disgraced her years of talent and studying to become a voice actor. 

• Hideo Kojima Teases New Game Starring Elle Fanning At PAX Australia
• NFS Unbound – Release Date, Story, Map, Price & More
• Twitch Rivals Fortnite Zero Build Finale - How To Watch, Schedule, Teams & More
• Does Overwatch 2 Work On Steam Deck?

Taylor said, "The Bayonetta franchise made approximately $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 Art Lambda with voice coach Barbara Berkery; and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles."

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

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

"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 $4,000," Taylor added.

The voice actress continued, "This is an insult to me. The amount of time I took to work on my talent and everything that I have given to this game and to the fans. I am asking the fans to boycott this game and instead spend the money that you would have spent on this game donating to charity."

"I didn't want the world. I didn't ask for too much. I was just asking for a decent, dignified living wage. What they did was legal, but it was immoral," concluded Taylor.

Taylor later elaborated on her decision to reveal the supposed "immoral" offer to fans. She discussed the mental impact of possibly living "on the streets" because of such a low wage and remained brave about her decision, stating she wasn't "afraid of the non-disclosure agreement."

In her closing statement, Taylor wished the newer voice actor took up Bayonetta's role in Bayonetta 3, Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale, "all the joy in the world and all the jobs." However, in contrast, Taylor also stated that "she has no right to say she is Bayonetta."

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

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

Taylor stated, "They now have a new girl voicing her over, and I love actors, and I wish her all the joy in the world and all the jobs, but she has no right to say she is Bayonetta."

"She has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta. Any more than I have the right to sign as Eva Green, even though I was her parrot in Golden Compass. That betrayal is hers and hers alone. They'll probably try to do a spin-off with Jeanne, don't buy that either."

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

— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 15, 2022

In response to these allegations, Kamiya, the mind behind Bayonetta, called out Taylor's statement in a Tweet, writing, "[It's] sad and deplorable about the attitude of untruth. That's what all I can tell now. By the way, beware of my rules."

So far, community members have been standing alongside Taylor and boycotting Kamiya's upcoming sequel, Bayonetta 3. We will endeavor to update you regarding any further developments.

For more amazing gaming content, check out our section dedicated to Video Games news, updates, guides, features, and more.

All images are courtesy of PlatinumGames.