The saga of Hellena Taylor asking to boycott Bayonetta 3 in the wake of being lowballed continues. After Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that she was offered $15,000 to voice Bayonetta in Bayonetta 3, a claim which Taylor virulently denied, she took to clarify that… she was indeed offered $15,000 (or more accurately to her account, $10,000 at first and an extra $5,000 after writing to Hideki Kamiya). She was offered $4,000 to cameo in some lines, which is the figure she touted on Twitter in her initial account that kicked off the whole incident.
Former Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor now confirms my reporting that she was offered at least $15,000 and that the final offer was for a cameo, despite the claims in a video that went viral last week: pic.twitter.com/VD60B83ICh
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) October 24, 2022
Taylor denies other parts of the report, such as the claim she was offered $4,000 per session for at least five sessions or that she asked for a six figure wage. She also revealed that she was paid only £3,000 for the first game (which back in 2008-2009 exchange rates, would have likely been more than $4,000, ironically) and “a little more” for the second. She also repeats the claim that the franchise makes $450 million dollars before merchandising (citation needed).
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
— Hellena Taylor (@hellenataylor) October 24, 2022
Having essentially admitted to lying, much of the wind of Taylor’s initial bombshell video has been taken out of its proverbial sails. Many commenters and fans have turned to criticize her for dishonesty and obscuring the facts — the signal of whether you think $15,000 a lowball or not is lost in the noise of the fact that she did not disclose that information truthfully. It’s hard to imagine any sort of sustained boycott for Bayonetta 3, which releases this Friday. Despite a couple loose thread details, it appears that her original claims — the source of the controversy in the first place — have been debunked, or at very least elaborated in a light that makes her story less sympathetic. We’ll be sure to report on any other facts of the situation that come to light.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
