SAG-AFTRA Calls For A Strike Against Video Game Industry

SAG-AFTRA actors’ union has called for a strike against major video game developers like Activision Blizzard, WB Games, Electronic Arts and seven others after negotiating a contract for over one and a half years. 160,000 members from the union have decided that they will no longer be a part of any video games produced by these corporations. The contract ended in November 2022 and since then a lot of conversations have been initiated by SAG-AFTRA to safeguard the rights of the actors and voice actors. 

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SAG-AFTRA Calls For A Strike Against Video Game Industry Giants

In the conversations that SAG-AFTRA initiated, they wanted to safeguard the voice actors and actors' jobs in times when the usage of AI has been on the rise. Negotiator for SAG-AFTRA Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said: 

Any game looking to employ SAG-AFTRA talent to perform covered work must sign on to the new Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the Interactive Media Agreement, or the Interim Interactive Localization Agreement.

SAG-AFTRA is also claiming that some of the issues that they had raised have been taken into consideration but there's still a gap between where they wanted to be in the negotiations and where they are. 

The employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their AI language. 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.

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.

This is not the first time that SAG-AFTRA has gone on strike. They had earlier resorted to it in 2016 when they asked for more transparency in the contract and the right to know the roles they were auditioning for. That strike had lasted 11 months.