Actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, which also represents voice actors, announced that the companies behind 80 games have agreed to its terms regarding the use of AI, as voice actors and motion capture artists continue to strike against major industry players. The contracts, which include both tiered budget and interim agreements, will provide artists with more employment opportunities while the strike continues.
The video game actors’ strike began on July 26, with the union demanding fair AI protections for its members. At the start of the strike, SAG-AFTRA said studios would have to sign one of three agreements offering “critical AI protections” if they wanted to hire union talent for covered work, which includes all games that began development after September 2023.
Currently, 80 games are covered by one of these agreements, a statistic that SAG-AFTRA says proves its terms are reasonable and fair to the companies. “We applaud the video game companies that have signed our interim and staggered budget agreements,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator. “Not only are they doing the right thing for their employees, they are also helping to preserve the human art, ingenuity and creativity that fuels interactive storytelling. These agreements show that the video game companies in the collective bargaining group do not represent the will of the video game industry as a whole.”
Studios that have already signed deals include Lightspeed LA, which is currently working on its debut game Last Sentinel, as well as Ark: Survival Evolved developer Studio Wildcard and indie studio Little Bat Games.
SAG-AFTRA adds that some of the games that have signed agreements were not initially covered by the strike order, but have now ensured that actors' performances, past and present, will be protected from unregulated use of AI.
The voice actors' strike will continue, with major industry players involved in negotiations yet to reach an agreement with SAG-AFTRA. Companies involved in the negotiations include EA, Activision, Take-Two, WB Games, and others. It has been confirmed that GTA 6 will not be affected by the strike, and current online games are also exempt from the strike.