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SAG-AFTRA, Video Game Employers Reach Tentative Agreement on Interactive Media Contract
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
With the tentative agreement, it is expected that terms of a strike suspension agreement will be finalized with employers soon, but until an agreement is reached, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike against the employers.
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stated:
“Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike. Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers' livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains. Thank you, Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh and Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez for your hard work and advocacy in pursuit of this contract.”
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher also stated:
“Our video game performers stood strong against the biggest employers in one of the world's most lucrative industries. Their incredible courage and persistence, combined with the tireless work of our negotiating committee, has at last secured a deal. The needle has been moved forward and we are much better off than before. As soon as this is ratified we roll up our sleeves and begin to plan the next negotiation. Every contract is a work in progress and progress is the name of the game.”
SAG-AFTRA union members who work on video games started going on strike on July 26, 2024. SAG-AFTRA stated then that the reason for the strike was that "Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, the employers refuse to plainly affirm, in clear and enforceable language, that they will protect all performers covered by this contract in their A.I. language."
Before the strike, SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating for more than a year and a half with a bargaining group that includes Activision Productions Inc.; Blindlight LLC; Disney Character Voices Inc.; Electronic Arts Productions Inc.; Epic Games, Inc.; Formosa Interactive LLC; Insomniac Games Inc.; Take 2 Productions Inc.; VoiceWorks Productions Inc.; and WB Games Inc.
The negotiations began in October 2022, and in September 2023, SAG-AFTRA members voted 98.32% in favor of a strike authorization against 10 video game companies. The vote at the time did not initiate a strike, but permitted the union's national board to declare a strike if ongoing negotiations were not successful.
The negotiations then have already reached tentative agreements on 24 out of 25 proposals.
Negotiations with employers resumed on October 23, but it was extended after three days of scheduled talks did not resolve the ongoing dispute.
SAG-AFTRA signed an agreement in January 2024 with Replica Studios — an AI voiceover studio — that sets terms for the use of artificial intelligence for voices in video games.
The agreement's terms include informed consent for the use of AI to create digital voice replicas (recreations of the voice of a real performer, living or dead). They also include requirements for the safe storage of digital assets. The union said that the deal will enable Replica Studios "to engage SAG-AFTRA members under a fair, ethical agreement to safely create and license a digital replica of their voice. Licensed voices can be used in video game development and other interactive media projects from pre-production to final release," but the agreement also requires that voiceover performers "have the opportunity to opt out of its continued use in new works."
Several voice actors at the time expressed their concerns on the agreement and how it was reached.
SAG-AFTRA's last strike against major gaming companies began in 2016 and lasted 183 days.
SAG-AFTRA represents over 160,000 performers—including voice actors—and negotiates contracts with studios to guarantee consistent pay, working conditions, contributions toward health insurance and a pension, and preferential casting for union members.
Source: Press release
