announcement
Actor Hellena Taylor released a statement on October 15 via her Twitter account. He was the voice actor of the English version of Bayonetta, the main character of the “Bayonetta” series, but has resigned in the new “Bayonetta 3”. In a statement, he explained why he was leaving the project and urged fans to boycott the new album.
While working as an actor and screenwriter, Taylor is also active as a voice actor. He often plays in games as a voice actor and was responsible for the English version of Bayonetta, the main character of Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, and his mother Rosa. He also worked on Bayonetta, who starred in the Super Smash Bros. and Max Anarchy series, as well as Valkyrie Profile and Dragon Age: Origins.
It was thought that the English voice of Bayonetta in “Bayonetta 3” would be played by Hellena Taylor, who has played Bayonetta for a long time, but in October of this year it was officially announced that she would be stepping down. Jennifer Hale will take over instead. Hale is also an active voice actor in video games, such as the female version of the main character Shepard in the “Mass Effect” series and Ash in “Overwatch”.
Regarding the replacement of the lead voice actor, Yusuke Miyata, the director of this work at developer PlatinumGames, explained that it was difficult to re-appoint Taylor because “various circumstances overlapped”.Nintendo Everything). Although the specific reason was not disclosed, this time Mr. Taylor spoke frankly about the precedents.
In short, Taylor seems to have voluntarily resigned from the role of Bayonetta in the new film, alleging that he was paid too little. After saying that he studied at several prestigious schools as an actor and voice actor for many years and accumulated achievements, he claims that he was offered $ 4,000 (about 600,000 yen) as a reward for the role of Bayonetta in “Bayonetta 3.” . Given the amount of time he devoted to the show and its fans, and his own talent, he said that such a sum was insulting. The $ 4,000 offer is for appearances in the entire Bayonetta 3 game.
He said $ 4,000 was a final offer, so the starting offer is likely to be even lower. I don’t know how much major voice actors are generally paid in games in the US, but in the reaction of foreign media reporting on this topic, there are many opinions that $ 4000 is too low.
After passing an audition, Mr. Taylor was selected to play the role of Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3. Next, he sent a letter in Japanese to Mr. Hideki Kamiya, who was in charge of the director and scenery of the Bayonetta series, and who is the executive director of this work, asking him about his “value”.
According to Taylor, Kamiya reflected on the first meeting, praising his contribution to the series and saying that fans would like him to return. However, the reward offered is $ 4,000. Taylor also claimed that PlatinumGames had explained that he was leaving because he was too busy. Taylor himself took the time to suggest that he was being misrepresented.
Taylor then urged fans to boycott Bayonetta 3 and donate the money they would use to buy it to charity. He also suggested that the statement violated a non-disclosure agreement. Furthermore, Bayonetta is a person who always stands on the side of the weak and fights for justice, and has asked her fans to do the same.
About two hours after Taylor posted the statement, PlatinumGames’ Hideki Kamiya tweeted in English on his Twitter account. The content is that “I am saddened by the false opinion” and “This is all I can say now”. It’s unclear if the tweet was in response to Taylor’s statement, but if so, some or all of Taylor’s claims may differ from Kamiya’s perception.
The change of lead voice actor is a big event and the case of “Bayonetta 3” has been widely reported overseas. For this reason, it appears that Hellena Taylor’s statement, which can be described as an accusation, has received a very good response. On the other hand, due to Mr. Kamiya’s tweet mentioned above, it is difficult for a third party to judge how true the claim is.
In any case, as a Bayonetta fan overseas, I’m sure you are hoping for an amicable resolution. Some are also calling for the postponement of the release of this job and the rehiring of Taylor.online petitionit seems to be happening. Even if it doesn’t, they want to show that there are fans who support Taylor.
Bayonetta 3 will be released on October 28 for Nintendo Switch. The Japanese version of Bayonetta will continue to be voiced by Atsuko Tanaka, who has so far been responsible for the series.
