A tense pay dispute overshadows Nintendo’s forthcoming Bayonetta 3 – BNN Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) – A wage dispute between the creator of a critically acclaimed video game series and its star voice actor has reignited a long-simmering wage debate in the industry. As is often the case with this type of disagreement, the details surrounding the negotiations and casting for the upcoming game Bayonetta 3 are more complicated than what has been publicly presented.

The feud spread over the weekend when Hellena Taylor, the star of the first two Bayonetta games, said she would not appear in the next iteration, which is due out for Nintendo Switch on October 28, in a series of videos on Saturday on Twitter, accusing Nintendo Co. and the game’s developer, Platinum Games, of offering her a combined $4,000 to reprise her role. She said she turned down the lowball offer and asked fans not to buy the game. “If you’re someone who cares about people, who cares about the world around you, who cares about who gets hurt in these financial decisions, then I urge you to boycott this game,” Taylor said in one of the videos.

The videos went viral, garnering more than 9.5 million views on Twitter. Taylor’s story struck a chord among gamers. Voice actors are loved by fans but can’t do nearly what a Hollywood actor does. Actors have long complained about being underpaid and underappreciated. Some have said they get little information about their roles until they show up in the recording booth. The industry works so secretly that sometimes actors don’t even know what game they’re recording lines for until it’s released.

Tensions last came to a head during contract negotiations in 2016, when the union representing many voice actors, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, orchestrated a strike that lasted nearly a year. One of the sticking points was the residual payments, ie compensation for actors when a game’s sales exceed expectations. Voice actors gave up this fight in exchange for bonuses based on the number of sessions they work on.

In the case of Bayonetta 3, the developer appeared determined to reinstate Taylor, according to two people familiar with the negotiations as well as documentation reviewed by Bloomberg. Here’s where their reports differ: Platinum Games tried to hire Taylor for at least five sessions, each paying $3,000 to $4,000 for four hours in the studio, people said, asking not to be identified because they weren’t authorized , private contracts to discuss negotiations. That would bring the total for the game to at least $15,000. In response, they said, Taylor asked for a six-figure sum and residuals for the game. Platinum declined and, after lengthy negotiations, auditioned for a new actor. Platinum later offered Taylor a cameo in the game for the fee of a session, which she declined, people said.

In an email, Taylor described this account as “an absolute lie” and said Platinum was “trying to save her ass and the game.” She said she stands by everything she said in the video. “I want to openly leave this whole damn franchise behind and move on with my life in theatre,” she wrote. Platinum Games and Nintendo representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Bayonetta 3 CEO Hideki Kamiya called Taylor’s allegations “sad and regrettable” in a Twitter post.

Regardless, Taylor’s comments resonated widely, dominating headlines on gaming websites and even gracing TMZ’s digital pages. Several of Taylor’s colleagues spoke out after her videos. Bryan Dechart, who starred in Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption II, said he was offered $4,000 to work on a non-union project for a big-budget game. Sean Chiplock, who voiced three characters in Nintendo blockbuster The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, said he was paid around $3,000 for the job.

The Bayonetta series is loved by fans and critics but has never been a huge commercial success. The Nintendo Switch version of Bayonetta 2, released in 2018, has sold just over a million copies, far fewer than many of Nintendo’s other offerings. For Bayonetta 3, acting costs were higher than other projects because the studio relied on union actors, said three people familiar with the game’s production, which meant a minimum of about $900 for a four-hour voice session plus bonuses. Prominent actors or franchise stars like Taylor usually earn more.

In her videos, Taylor mentioned Jennifer Hale, the prolific voice actress who took on the role of Bayonetta in the new game. “I wish her all the happiness in the world, I wish her all the jobs, but she has no right to say she’s the voice of Bayonetta,” Taylor said. “I created this voice. She has no right to sign merchandise as Bayonetta.”

As a result, Hale faced some malicious online harassment. She wrote on Twitter Monday that she had signed a non-disclosure agreement and could not elaborate on the situation. “I sincerely ask that everyone remember that this game was made by a whole team of hard working dedicated people and I hope everyone will keep an eye on what they have created,” she wrote. A few hours later, she retweeted a Twitter thread from another voice actor who said, “If you only hear one side (or part of a side) of a story, you haven’t heard the whole story.”

©2022 Bloomberg LP