SAG-AFTRA votes in favor of strikes against video game companies
SAG-AFTRA members voted 98.23% in favor of authorizing a strike against the video game industry.
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Video game voice and motion capture actors have called a walkout following the failure of labor contract negotiations over artificial intelligence worker protections, sparking a new walkout in Hollywood.
SAG-AFTRA announced Thursday that its members will begin a strike for the Interactive Media Agreement covering video game performers at 12:01 a.m. on July 26. Negotiations will begin in October 2022, according to the union, and members approved the strike in September with a 98.32% vote in favor.
The decision follows months of negotiations with major video game companies, including Activision Productions, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Take-Two Interactive, Disney Character Voices and Warner Bros. Discovery's WB Games.
The interactive media agreement expires in November 2022 and was being extended month-by-month during negotiations.
“Despite reaching an agreement on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to explicitly affirm in clear and enforceable language that the AI language will protect all performers covered by this contract,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement.
SAG-AFTRA's members include film and TV actors who walked out last July over concerns about insufficient AI safeguards, bringing Hollywood to a six-month halt amid a simultaneous strike by the Writers Guild of America.
While film and TV studios negotiated on a unified footing, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) negotiating on their behalf, the games industry has no similar group, so it's highly likely that one or more game developers will give in to the union's demands, said Michael Pachter, managing director at Wedbush.
“Once[developers]do it, everyone will do it,” Pachter said.
SAG-AFTRA Raises Concerns About AI and Video Game Cast Pay
Aside from AI protections, the most pressing issues SAG-AFTRA is addressing in contract negotiations with video game performers are higher wages, healthcare and breaks for motion capture performers.
SAG-AFTRA says pay for video game performers hasn't kept up with inflation and is also seeking stronger protections for motion-capture performers, who wear markers and sensors on their skin or in body suits to help game makers create character movements.
“We are disappointed that the union chose to withdraw when we were so close to an agreement. We stand ready to resume negotiations and have already found common ground on 24 of our 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions,” said Audrey Cooling, a spokeswoman for the video game makers who are parties to the Interactive Media Agreement.
Couling said the proposal presented to SAG-AFTRA includes AI protections, including requiring consent and fair compensation for all performers working under the IMA.
Still, Wedbush's Pachter said voice acting makes up a tiny portion of the average game's development costs, which exceed $80 million, with voice acting accounting for just $500,000 of that.
“Delaying a game's release to save hundreds of thousands of dollars just isn't worth it,” Pachter said.
Which games are on SAG-AFTRA's Video Game Strike List?
Not all “interactive programs” will be removed.
To check the status of your game, use the search feature at sagaftra.org/videogamestrike.
Contributing authors: Arshiya Bajwa, Dawn Chmielewski (Reuters) and Kimi Robinson (USA Today)
