A year after striking against film and television productions, SAG-AFTRA will go on strike against video game companies after months of negotiations on a new labor contract have failed to produce a deal.
Voice and motion-capture performers in the actors’ guild will go on strike starting on Friday at 12:01 AM, days after the guild’s national board authorized executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland to call a strike if a deal could not be reached with the companies. which include Activision, EA, WB Games, Disney and Take Two as well as voiceover production companies Formosa Interactive and VoiceWorks Productions.
However, actors who have already arranged to appear at San Diego Comic-Con to discuss video game projects can still do so without violating the terms of the strike, SAG-AFTRA said Thursday.
“Given the close proximity of the calling of the strike with San Diego Comic-Con
(“SDCC”), the foregoing rules relating to promotion and publicity services do not
apply to promotion and publicity services provided at SDCC,” the guild said in its statement explaining the strike rules members must adhere to.
The guild says that while it reached terms on nearly all elements of the Interactive Media Agreement, protections around use of artificial intelligence to replicate the voice and likeness of performers remains the sole sticking point.
“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate,” stated SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher in a statement.
To keep employment opportunities open, SAG-AFTRA will offer interim agreements to game studios who wish to employ union talent. The agreement has the same terms last offered to the producers signed to the IMA, including critical A.I. protections for members.”
“The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies,” said Crabtree-Ireland.
“Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that,” he added.
In a press conference called after the strike was announced, SAG-AFTRA chair of interactive media Sarah lmaleh explained the Comic-Con exemption: “it’s just out of consideration in fact that this is happening very quickly, and our members are no doubt going to take some time to absorb the the full scope of strike order and the rules and all of that other stuff.”
“We feel very passionately that being at Comic Con in order to share what it is we need, why we need it, is the best way to serve this action. To be open to conversation. That’s one reason why we decided to allow that, that moment for folks to take their time and understand how exactly to be in compliance, while at the same time, sharing this message as broadly, and as quickly as we can,” she said also.
SDCC 2024 began on Wednesday and lasts through Sunday, July 28.
More than 30,000 SAG-AFTRA members who work in video games authorized their union to announce a strike nearly a year ago during the 118-day TV/theatrical contract strike. With AI technology already being used for alternate language dubbing worldwide, the technology is a critical issue for voice actors who turn to video games as a major source of income.
In a statement released on behalf of the video game producers signed on to the Interactive Media Agreement, spokesperson Audrey Cooling said they were “disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations.”
“We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions. Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry,” Cooling said.
This marks the second SAG-AFTRA video game strike in the past decade, as the union last staged a strike in October 2016 over residuals. If that strike is any indication, it may be some time before this strike is resolved, as the previous one lasted for 11 months.
