Actors in the The video game industry is on strike. On Thursday, the union representing voice and motion capture artists announced it would walk out after negotiations with major video game companies broke down over concerns about artificial intelligence protections. The work stoppage is set to begin on Friday.
“We will not stand for a contract that allows companies to abuse artificial intelligence 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 get serious about offering a deal that our members can live and work under, we will be here, 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 obligations this weekend “given the proximity” of the strike announcement to the event, which runs through Sunday. “Solidarity,” Dragon Age: The Guardian of the Veil Voice actress Erika Ishii aware about X. “We will honor the contracts at Comic-Con, but afterward we will maintain our position.” Last year’s strikes in Hollywood greatly reduced the number of artists who could participate in Comic-Con events.
Tensions over AI between SAG members and major video game companies have been high for months. Negotiations between the two sides began in earnest in October 2022. Members voted to authorize a strike in September 2023. “Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair and reasonable protections for AI, but in blatant exploitation,” Sarah Elmaleh, SAG’s negotiating chair for the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA) covering video game 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 a crucial part of game development, even as AI begins to change the way developers create their games. Despite success on other fronts, video game companies and SAG have been unable to come to an agreement on AI.
“We are disappointed that the union has decided to walk away when we are so close to an agreement, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations,” Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game companies involved in the negotiations, said in a statement to WIRED. That group includes companies like Activision, Disney, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, Take-Two, and Warner Bros., among others.
“We have now reached agreement on 24 of the 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions,” Cooling said. “Our offer directly addresses SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections including requiring consent and fair compensation for all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry.”
