Screen actors guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG -AFTRA) has achieved a “preliminary contract” for an interactive media agreement, potentially Ending almost a year of industrial activities In the video game industry.
. Sag-aftra game strike It was initiated in July 2024 after the Union and the main game companies – Activision, Blindlight, voices of Disney, electronic art, epic games, interactive formos, insomnia games, Take 2 Productions and WB Games – which did not agree to AI on the board. Over 98% of members then voted for the strike.
Although at the beginning it was complex to say exactly how the strike would affect our games, evident effects had evident in the industry; Players have announced that many ongoing games, such as Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft, seemed to see that some NPCs were not in the state expressed in the scenes, probably because of the strike. Then, at the end of last year, Sag-aftra hit the League of Legends after the riots I allegedly tried to overthrow the strike, canceling the game in responseand Activision were confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 characters have been transformed After players expressed concern with novel voices.
Now, however, the union said that it reached a “preliminary contract”, subject to a review and approval of her National Council. The strike is expected to be suspended soon, although until the National Council approves the draft contract, SAG-aftra members “will remain in a strike against these employers.”
“Everyone in the SAG-aftra is extremely grateful for sacrifices made by video games and the dedication of the interactive negotiating committee of the media agreement for many months of the video strike,” said the National Executive Director and the main negotiator of SAG-aftra, Duncan Crabtree-Irland.
“Patience and perseverance caused a contract that will introduce the necessary AI handrails, which defend the means of maintaining contractors in the AI era, along with other important benefits.”
SAG-aftra has filed an unfair charge of working at the National work of Relations Board (NLRB) against Epic GamesAfter the implementation of Darth Vader NPC Darth Vader in Fortnite. The complaint claimed that in the last six months Llama Productions (belonging to Epic Games) failed to bargain in good faith with Sag-aftra video games and made “unilateral changes in employment conditions, without notifying the Union or the possibility of negotiations, through the use of voices generated by AI” in order to replace individual activities. “
And in March, the actor Horizon Ashly Burch turned to the movie Ai Aloy, who leaked online, using it to pay attention to the requirements of striking voice actors. Burch said that AI Aloy’s video made a sense of “worries about performances as a form of art” and used it as a starting point to discuss the strike of actors from video games.
“We are currently fighting, you must get our consent before you create the AI version in any form, you need to compensate for us fairly and you must tell us how you operate this double AI,” Burch explained.
“I’m not worried not because technology exists. Even because game companies want to operate it. Of course, yes. I love this industry.
Photo of Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is an IGN reporter, as well as a critic, columnist and consultant with over 15 years of experience in working with the world’s largest sites and publications. He is also a guardian, Spartan, tranquil Hillian, legend and eternally high chaos. Find her in Blues.
