This is a controversy that PlatinumGames and Nintendo would have done well. Hellena Taylor, actress and main interpreter of Bayonetta for the first two opuses, does not participate in the third episode featuring the gymnastic witch. She has just explained the reasons for her absence, and calls on players to boycott this new component.
a surprising cast change
Bayonetta is now a flagship license in the PlatinumGames catalog, a real beat’em up jewel that runs at 1000 an hour and features the eponymous witch. With an extraordinary popularity and a true love of the players for the license, PlatinumGames owes this success in part to the interpretation of Hellena Taylor, actress, comedian and interpreter of the main character for the first two parts.
Unfortunately, we learned recently that the actress would finally be absent from the cast of Bayonetta 3 giving way to the talented Jennifer Hale a seasoned actress who has already lent her voice to characters like Samus for Metroid Prime or the female version of Commander Shepard in the series Mass Effect among others.
For many fans, the news may have been disappointing in many ways (although we’re sure Jennifer Hale will deliver a stellar job), but it didn’t necessarily come as a surprise. Already last year, Hellena Taylor cast doubt on her participation in this new opus. Two weeks before the game’s release, the actress made a point of addressing the fans on Twitter by evoking the reason for her absence, but also calls on them to boycott the game. Explanations.
“An insult” to his work
Via her official Twitter account, actress Hellena Taylor addressed fans with a long video message in which she talks about her role and her career, but also the reason for her absence. Visibly moved, the interpreter explains that after all she has done for her role, Nintendo and PlatinumGames would have offered her only 4000 dollars to return to the role of the witch, while the license would have brought in around 450 million. according to her.
What did they offer to pay me? The last bid to make the entire game was $4,000. It’s an insult to me, to the time I took to work on my talent, and to everything I gave to the game and to the fans.
Strongly and logically raised against PlatinumGames, the actress calls on the fans to boycott. She asks them to donate the money they had planned to spend in the game to charities.
I ask fans to boycott this game, and instead donate the money they planned to spend in the game to charity. I wasn’t asking for the moon, I wasn’t asking for too much, I was just asking for a proper and dignified salary. What they did is legal, but immoral.
In his video series, Hellena Taylor then points the finger directly at Hideki Kamiya, director of the game, to whom she would have sent a letter after having received a derisory first offer. Subsequently, the director would have answered her in person, greatly valuing, on paper, her contribution to the character, and it was at this precise moment that the actress would have received the last offer of 4000 dollars.
The reaction of Nintendo and PlatinumGames should arrive quickly, unless the interested parties decide to dodge this controversy.