Actors Are Going On Strike Once Again

As of Friday, July 26, the video game actors strike is officially underway. The Interactive Media Agreement contract had expired back in November 2022, and negotiations for a new deal began. Negotiations were slow going and SAG-AFTRA members voted to approve strike authorization with 98.32% approval in September 2023.

Among the game publishers at the negotiating table were Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, spoke about the video game actors striker saying “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,” adding, “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.”

While the actor and writer strikes of last summer had AI as a main concern during the negotiating process, it seems that AI is the primary concern for the video game actors.

SAG-AFTRA has indicated that the video game publishers agreed to demands like increased pay, extended rest times, and on-set medics during hazardous recording sessions during negotiations.

However, SAG-AFTRA said 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.” SAG-AFTRA is mainly seeking to get protections that include consent if a performer’s voice or likeness is recreated by AI in a game and compensation when AI is used to replicate performances.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher also gave a statement about the video game actors strike, saying, “When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live—and work—with, we will be here, ready to negotiate.” A spokesperson for the video game companies gave a statement saying, “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.” The last time video game actors went on strike was in 2016 when negotiations came to a halt, primarily over residuals for voice actors.

The last video game actors’ strike lasted for 340 days. The strike also means that actors in the union won’t be promoting upcoming games under strike rules, but it apparently won’t apply to the San Diego Comic-Con, which kicked off yesterday. SAG-AFTRA itself confirmed on its website that the strike rules don’t apply to the convention.

The strikes last summer lasted 146 days for the WGA and 118 days for SAG-AFTRA, and both parties walked away with favorable terms when they eventually came to an end.

The actors and writers were able to get the studios represented by AMPTP to agree to many of their demands, showing that the strikes ended up having a meaningful impact. The last video game actors’ strike lasted much longer than the two strikes last summer, so, hopefully, they’ll be able to get favorable terms much sooner than last time.

In any case, the video game actors’ strike is just getting started. There should be plenty more information about it in the coming weeks. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated on this story as it continues to develop.