PlatinumGames puts "full support" behind Bayonetta 3 recasting

Developer PlatinumGames released a statement on Twitter about Bayonetta 3's recent recasting. Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect) will be playing the titular character in the upcoming sequel, replacing longtime voice actor Hellena Taylor. 

"We give our full support to Jennifer Hale as the new Bayonetta, and align with everything in her statement." wrote Platinum. "We ask people to please refrain from any further comments that would disrespect Jennifer or any of the other contributors to the series." 

Last week, Taylor published a series of videos alleging that Platinum had only offered her $4,000 for the entirety of Bayonetta 3, and called it an "insulting" offer. Support for the voice actor soon followed, particularly since Platinum had previously told Game Informer there were "various overlapping circumstances" for the recasting.

Up until this point, Platinum was noticeably silent on the matter. But its VP (and Bayonetta 3's executive director) Hideki Kamiya had no trouble making his feelings on the situation clear, at the time calling Taylor's videos "sad and deplorable."

However, earlier this week, a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier further complicated the entire saga. Taylor, his report alleged, was actually offered up to $4,000 per session, of which there would've been at least five lasting four hours each. 

That report further stated that Taylor wanted residual pay after the game's late October release, and a six-figure sum. Negotiations between her and Platinum took place and subsequently didn't come to an agreement, after which Hale was cast.

Responding to Schreier, Taylor disputed his claims and said she wanted to "put this whole bloody franchise behind me quite frankly get on with my life in the theatre."

Prior to Schreier's reporting, Hale said on Twitter that she was under NDA and asked for those involved to "resolve their differences in an amicable and respectful way." 

Update 10/24: Original voice actor Hellena Taylor has now confirmed that PlatinumGames offered her more money for Bayonetta 3 than she initially stated. In a Twitter thread, she explained that the original overall price for voice work was $10,000, with an additional $5,000 being offered after she spoke with Kamiya. 

"I thought that as a creative, [Kamiya] would understand," Taylor wrote. "He replied saying how much he valued my contribution to the game and how much the fans wanted me to voice the game."

While additionally confirming that she was offered $4,000 flat for a voice cameo, she fired back against other parts of Bloomberg's reporting, such as $4,000 for five voiceover sessions and Taylor's request for a six-figure sum. "I am a team player. I was just asking for a fair, living wage in line with the value that I bring to this game."

Taylor's desire for more pay, she continued, is the result of how much Platinum paid her for the first two Bayonetta games. She was paid £3000 overall (or $3,388) for the first game, which she called "shockingly low." For Bayonetta 2, she didn't give a hard number (she vaguely said the pay was "a little more" compared to the original). 

As she explains further in the thread, she felt higher pay was right, since she helped keep Bayonetta alive in the four-year gap between the first two games. "I wanted to voice her. I have drummed up interest in this game ever since I started on Twitter in 2011. [...] I kept up interest in the game during the long periods of radio silence from Platinum."

Concluding her thread, Taylor wrote that "the [game] industry is powerful, they have powerful journalists too. They are trying to save their asset. Don’t fall for it!”