SAG-AFTRA Going On Strike Against Video Game Publishers

SAG-AFTRA is striking against video game publishers to protect actors from being exploited with the help of artificial intelligence.

After a year and a half of negotiations a deal has not been reached. The union wants to ensure that artificial intelligence is not used as a tactic to take advantage of actors in major games. SAG-AFTRA noted in their statement, “The convenience bargaining group with whom SAG-AFTRA is negotiating includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., Voice Works Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.”

They stated on their website, “SAG-AFTRA members who perform in video games are going on strike against all video game companies signed to the Interactive Media Agreement, effective 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 26 [called by Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator].”

Duncan revealed, “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.”

In an Instagram post shared on Thursday, July 25, followers of the community shared their opinions on the matter. “This is getting out of hand with the idea of AI replacing actors and VO actors… AI cannot duplicate the fragility of the human condition in a way a human can,” one user commented.

This comes shortly after the union had been on strike for 118 days against the Alliance Motion Picture and Television Producers. The movement came to an end in November 2023 when a solution was reached: “We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers…Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”