‘Bayonetta’ voice actor was reportedly offered more money than claimed

It’s been reported that Hellena Taylor, the original voice actress of Bayonetta, was offered more than she originally claimed to reprise the role in Bayonetta 3.

Last weekend (October 15), Hellena Taylor took to Twitter to share a video claiming that she was asked to re-audition for the role of Bayonetta in the upcoming title but was offered an “insulting” fee of just over £3,500 ($4,000) after passing the audition period.

Taylor explained that series creator Hideki Kamiya said he “values greatly her contribution to the game” despite claims that he did not offer her much money to return as the iconic character. Taylor went on to ask fans to boycott the game and instead donate the money to charity.

Now in a new Bloomberg report (via PC Gamer), Taylor’s claims have been rebutted by two sources who spoke anonymously to the publication which also says it obtained documentation related to the negotiations.

“Platinum Games sought to hire Taylor for at least five sessions, each paying $3,000 to $4,000 for four hours in the studio,” the report says. This means the total fee would have equated to at least £13,320 ($15,000).

Sources claim that Taylor rejected the offer and “asked for a six-figure sum as well as residuals.” Platinum declined and went on to hire Mass Effect‘s Commander Shepard voice actor Jennifer Hale – who said she could not speak about the situation due to a non-disclosure agreement. Hale has since shared comments to support the Bloomberg report on Twitter.

Taylor has since responded to the source’s claims, saying that they’re “an absolute lie” and that Platinum is trying to save face. Speaking to VGC, Taylor also called the claims “categorically untrue.”

Additionally, three sources told Bloomberg that the developer used union actors for Bayonetta 3, meaning they paid at least the union minimum rates. The developer has yet to officially address the issue publically.

In other news, The Sims 4 is now permanently free-to-play through all available platforms.