By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Bayonetta OG Voice Actress Calls For Boycott of Bayonetta 3

sc94597 said:
KLXVER said:

Well I dont know how she has made money in the last 8 years since it seems like that was her last VA role(Bayonetta 2 in 2014)

How much does people think is fair for her to be paid? Has anyone said anything about that?

Not sure. Maybe she does small radio and advertisement gigs to fill in the gaps? Maybe Wikipedia isn't up to date about her work? She did say that she was somewhat scared of being put onto the streets.

It seems like if they offered her $4,000 initially she probably would've begrudgingly taken it. The initial, lower, offer -- whatever it was looks to have slighted her. She described it as "insulting." She said she then asked for "what [she] was worth" but never says how much that was. They responded with the $4,000 offer. 

It also seemed like she was going to let it go until they lied about why she wasn't VA anymore. If it was all about attention, why wouldn't she have mentioned it before?

Fair enough. Hopefully we`ll hear more from PG soon.



Around the Network

Its sad she isn't happy about it but she is a contractor. Its a tough world out there. $4k to do 1 job? Heck their are starving people in the world.
Hope she finds a job that pays her needs but unfortunately Boycotting isnt the anwser here.
There is always someone out there willing to do the same job on less.



If you're thinking about boycotting a game because a voice actor was offered $4000 for a few hours of work then why the bloody FUCK haven't you already boycotted home consoles that are manufactured by workers who are being exploited with low pay, poor working conditions, and crippling overtime schedules?



pokoko said:

If you're thinking about boycotting a game because a voice actor was offered $4000 for a few hours of work then why the bloody FUCK haven't you already boycotted home consoles that are manufactured by workers who are being exploited with low pay, poor working conditions, and crippling overtime schedules?

If the intention is to hurt the company, boycotting home consoles doesn't make sense (at least in the case of Sony and Microsoft, maybe less so for Nintendo.) They sell their home consoles at a loss. Somebody who buys the console, and buys games used or pirates really doesn't add much to Sony or Microsoft's pockets and can actually cost them. 

There is also the matter that Foxconn (for example) can't supply enough chips, so a minor reduction in demand probably won't hurt them. 

Comparitively, video games are quite profitable. Lose 100 sales and you've lost about $2,000 (assuming profit of $20 per copy.) If a company is dragging its feet to offer $4,000 to the voice actor of the main character of their game, they are definitely sensitive to sales numbers. 

Last edited by sc94597 - on 16 October 2022

Stupid. I'm not boycotting because somebody didn't get a job.



Around the Network

Apparently the VA work for the first Bayonetta was only 16 hours, 4 sessions of four hours each. Union standard pay is apparently around $1000 for 4 hours, which means if the work required for Bayonetta 3 is similar, they wanted to pay her an industry standard sum. She has no track record in gaming VA appart from Bayonetta, but she still felt like she deserved more than most others make. She clearly thinks she's more important than she really is. Her comments toward Jennifer Hale show her overinflated ego even more. Bayonetta was not created by her, she judt read the lines.
Her entire behaviour is extremely unprofessional and entitled. She broke an NDA and will likely get sued over that.

So because she feels like she deserves more money than most VAs all of the developers who worked hard on the game for 5 years should suffer and the entire franchise should die.
Voice acting is the least important part of any game. She was easily replaced and then gets all salty despite being the one who refused the offer in the first place.

That $450 million that the franchise supposedly made is bullshit. It obviously didn't make that much. The first game was a financial flop, the second game took two rereleases and many years to reach 1mil copies sold, most copies were sold below full price. Beyond that she has no way of knowing how much the franchise makes.
That obvious lie puts everything she said into question.

Conclusion: A highly unlikeable person with an overinflated ego is mad that she doesn't get payed more than everyone else and therefore wants to burn the entire ship she herself willingly jumped off of and even attacks her replacement thinking she owns the character. Someone who behaves like that won't get hired that easily again, not like she got hired for VA much in the first place. Her only notable role is Bayonetta.



Shatts said:
green_sky said:

The boycott thing is silly for sure but people are really defending 4,000 dollars for main VA.

Who's defending 4,000 dollars for main VA? 

That is normal union pay for 16 hours of work. Exactly the number of hours she worked on the first Bayonetta. It's one thing if you think that's low in general, but she thinks she deserved more than what others typically get, which is entitled. Bayonetta is a niche franchise.



mZuzek said:
kirby007 said:

damn i should go in voice acting if 4k for a days work is considered not enough

If you can do all of Bayonetta's voice lines in one day you're gonna go far, do it.

In an interview she said that for the first Bayonetta she did 4 sessions of 4 hours each. It doesn't just take one day, but it still doesn't take very long anyways.



pokoko said:

If you're thinking about boycotting a game because a voice actor was offered $4000 for a few hours of work then why the bloody FUCK haven't you already boycotted home consoles that are manufactured by workers who are being exploited with low pay, poor working conditions, and crippling overtime schedules?

I agree with that reasoning.  I agree 4k is insanely low and nobody should get paid so badly, but this is capitalism. One of inherent micro structures of this economic system is the owner of production means will try to cu costs to as low as possible in a way to keep the prices low and the profits high. The true profit of companies is not about how much they charge for products, but rather how much they earn for not truly recognize the value their employees generate. 

Instead capitalism see workers as mostly disposable assets. Doesn't matter if voice acting improves substantially the quality of a game and is a must-have on modern gaming, the companies don't reward this value, their payment is mostly based on how easy is to find another the voice actor that accept to be paid so low.

So, her complaints are valid, she's right, but that's how companies do. Boycotting a game will not change the amount for similarly low paid workers related with the industry in production line unfortunately.



Kakadu18 said:

Apparently the VA work for the first Bayonetta was only 16 hours, 4 sessions of four hours each. Union standard pay is apparently around $1000 for 4 hours, which means if the work required for Bayonetta 3 is similar, they wanted to pay her an industry standard sum. She has no track record in gaming VA appart from Bayonetta, but she still felt like she deserved more than most others make. She clearly thinks she's more important than she really is. Her comments toward Jennifer Hale show her overinflated ego even more. Bayonetta was not created by her, she judt read the lines.

Do you have a source for this union standard pay? The article I found, referencing 2018 prices, seems to contradict this estimate you're giving. 4k for 16 hours was standard for any character, but main characters could potentially get more. And if the unions haven't negotiated higher pay in the last four years, then they are pretty bad unions given how rampant inflation has been. 

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/q-a-an-indie-dev-s-guide-to-hiring-casting-and-directing-voice-actors

"Pro studios might offer between $200-300 per hour for a 1-2 hour minimum session, and it's not unreasonable to expect to be paid between $500-$700 as a main character in a fully voiced, full length visual novel."

And while she has a pretty sparce track record, having been VA for the first two games definitely is a bonus in her favor. Remember, they initially tried to pay her less than 4k. 

Kakadu18 said:

Her entire behaviour is extremely unprofessional and entitled. She broke an NDA and will likely get sued over that.

Given that she only brought it up after Platinum Games lied about the reason she isn't VA I think the context sheds light on why she was less than "professional" in her video response. The only thing that was uncalled for was her attacking the other VA, imo. Also at least here in the U.S, I am not sure about other countries, it is usually illegal for an NDA to restrict discussing one's pay and with a few exceptions wouldn't be enforced by the courts. I'd be surprised if Britain doesn't also have similar protections giving how their labor laws tend to be stronger than here.  

Last edited by sc94597 - on 16 October 2022