Yesterday, SAG-AFTRA announced that its members have voted on a videogame strike after over a year and a half of negotiations with game developers and publishers.
24 of the 25 sticking points have been agreed upon. However, the remaining point is a big one: AI. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement:
We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate.
National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland stated:
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. 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. Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that.
Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh added:
Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation. We refuse this paradigm – we will not leave any of our members behind, nor will we wait for sufficient protection any longer. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts, which provide A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers, and to continuing to negotiate in good faith with this bargaining group when they are ready to join us in the world we all deserve.
For its part, Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the main negotiation group that includes Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc, stated:
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. We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions. Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry.
While such strikes in the gaming industry aren’t nearly as crippling as they are for movies or TV shows, they could still result in delays. The massively anticipated GTA 6 could be one of those games, according to a quick search in SAG-AFTRA’s videogame status database.
Needless to say, let’s hope an agreement can be reached shortly.
