Actors union calls strike against major video game companies

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, will strike against major video game publishers. The strike will go into effect on July 26th at 12:01am PT/3:01am ET.

In a statement, the union said that it failed to come to an agreement with the gaming giants after more than a year-and-a-half of negotiations. The main issue, the union says, is a lack of protections against the use of artificial intelligence (AI). 98.32 percent of union members voted to authorize a strike last fall.

“Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.

Under the strike, SAG-AFTRA says, “any game game looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on to the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interim Interactive Media Agreement or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement.” These terms provide “critical” protections against AI, according to the union.

It should be noted that not every video game company uses SAG-AFTRA talent. However, some of the major players that do include:

• Activision
• Blindlight
• Disney
• Electronic Arts
• Formosa Interactive
• Insomniac Games (a subsidiary of PlayStation)
• Llama Productions
• Take 2
• VoiceWorks
• WB Games

Therefore, that’s still a substantial pool of companies with a global reach, including in Canada. Some of these companies that have Canadian locations include:

• Activision (Quebec City and Toronto Call of Duty makers Beenox and Sledgehammer and Vancouver software developer Demonware)
• Electronic Arts (Dragon Age maker BioWare Edmonton and Dead Space developer Motive in Montreal)
• Take 2 (Rockstar Games has Toronto office, while the next BioShock is being co-developed by San Francisco and Montreal-based Cloud Chamber)
• WB Games (WB Games Montreal, the team behind Gotham Knights developer)

It remains to be seen how the strike will disrupt the development of upcoming games. The biggest question mark pertains to Grand Theft Auto VI, which is developed by 2K-owned Rockstar Games. It’s expected to be one of the biggest games of all time after its predecessor, 2013’s GTA V, broke sales records. Given that GTA VI is still over a year out, it’s unclear whether the strike will affect it.

Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers, offered the following statement in response to the strike:

“We are 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.”

SAG-AFTRA last went on strike against video game companies from October 2016 to September 2017. The new video game actors strike comes after SAG-AFTRA held a strike against Hollywood companies from July to November 2023.

Image credit: SAG-AFTRA

Source: SAG-AFTRA Via: Variety

Update: 25/07/2024 — Added mention of GTA VI, the biggest game that could be affected by the strikes.