Video game actors are striking for the first time since 2017 after months of negotiations with Activision, Epic Games and other major publishers and studios over higher pay, better safety measures and protection against up-to-date generative AI technologies. They will strike a year after Hollywood actors and writers ended their historic strikes, in a move that could have major implications for the development and marketing of some of the industry’s biggest games.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted last fall to authorize a strike, citing the unwillingness of major game companies to concede rights to performers over how their work is used to train AI or create AI-generated copies. Some 2,600 voice actors and motion capture artists, including talents like Troy Baker of The Last of UsJennifer Hale with Mass effectand Matt Mercer from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the RealmThey have been working without an interactive media agreement since November 2022. The strike starts on July 26 at 12:01
“The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profits annually. The driving force behind this success is the creative people who design and build these games,” lead negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. “This includes SAG-AFTRA members who bring unforgettable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same basic protections as performers in film, television, streaming and music: fair compensation and the right to informed consent to have their faces, voices and bodies used by AI. It is frankly stunning that these video game studios have failed to learn any of the lessons of the past year — that our members can and will demand fair and equal treatment when it comes to AI, and that the public supports us in doing so.”
Read more: Video Game Voice Actors Are Ready to Strike Over AI, Here’s Why
“We are disappointed that the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to an agreement, and we remain willing to resume negotiations,” spokeswoman Audrey Cooling, representing the companies involved in the Interactive Media Agreement, said in an emailed statement. “We have already found common ground on 24 of the 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions. Our offer is a direct response to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends significant AI protections that include a consent requirement and fair compensation for all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry.”
While games that are set to release in the fall, such as Dragon Age: Veilguardwho is recently revealed voice cast includes several guild members, likely already done with voice and motion capture work, the strike means SAG-AFTRA members won’t be available for projects that are years away and won’t be able to record for possible last-minute rewrites on things that are closer to release. In the past, games relied much less on live-action performances, but most popular series are now fully voiced, and the biggest-budget productions utilize motion capture to bring real-life actors’ performances, frame by frame, to the game.
The last time video game actors appeared strike in 2016It was primarily about pay rates and lasted all year. It is unclear whether the strike will end sooner this time. Unlike the issue of higher pay, those involved in the current negotiations say the lack of AI protections poses an existential threat to actors and their work. Just this week, Wire reported that companies like Activision Blizzard and Riot Games have begun using generative AI tools to create art concepts and even potentially assets that will end up in finished games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable AI protections, but rather in egregious exploitation,” Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the negotiating committee, said in a statement. “We reject this paradigm—we will not leave any of our members behind or wait any longer for sufficient protections. We look forward to working with the teams on our interim and independent contractor agreements that provide transparency, consent, and AI compensation for all contractors, and continuing to negotiate in good faith with this negotiating group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve.”
SAG-AFTRA video game voice actors plan to host a panel featuring Ashly Burch (Horizon Forbidden West), Noshir Dal (Red Dead Redemption 2 – Winner) and others at San Diego Comicon later this week, July 26th.
Updated July 25, 2024 3:42 PM EST: Added statement from game companies.