Actors in video game industry strikes. On Thursday, the union representing voice and motion-capture artists announced it would walk off the job after talks with major video game companies broke down over concerns about AI protections. The work stoppage is set to begin Friday.
“We will not agree to a deal that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members,” Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which represents performers, said in a prepared statement. “Enough is enough. When these companies are serious about offering a deal our members can live with — and work with — we will be ready to negotiate.”
Several SAG-AFTRA members are currently at Comic-Con International in San Diego for panels and other appearances. They will still be able to fulfill their commitments this weekend “given the proximity” of the strike announcement to the event, which runs through Sunday. “Solidarity,” Dragon Age: Veilguard voice actress Erika Ishii Published on X. “We’ll fulfill contracts at SDCC, but after that we’ll hold the line.” Last year’s Hollywood strikes significantly confined the number of performers who could attend Comic-Con events.
Tensions over AI between SAG members and major video game companies have been simmering for months, with negotiations between the two sides beginning in earnest in October 2022. Members voted to authorize the strike in September 2023. “Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable AI protections, but rather in egregious exploitation,” Sarah Elmaleh, SAG’s negotiating chair for the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA), which covers video game industry workers, said in a statement. “We reject this paradigm — we will not leave any of our members behind or wait any longer for sufficient protections.”
In the video game industry, actors regularly lend their voices, likenesses, and even movements to projects. Voice acting and motion capture are key components of game development, even as artificial intelligence begins to change the way developers create their games. Despite successes in other areas, video game companies and SAGs have not been able to find common ground on the subject of artificial intelligence.
“We are disappointed that the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to an agreement, and we remain willing to resume negotiations,” Audrey Cooling, a spokeswoman for the video game companies involved in the negotiations, told WIRED in a statement. The group includes Activision, Disney, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, Take-Two, and Warner Bros., among others.
“We have already found common ground on 24 of the 25 proposals, including historic pay increases and additional safety provisions,” Cooling said. “Our proposal directly addresses SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends significant AI protections, which include requiring consent and fair compensation for all performers working under the IMA. These provisions are among the strongest in the entertainment industry.”