The national board of the SAG-AFTRA entertainment union, representing approximately 160,000 workers, has unanimously voted to authorize strikes for its members in the video game industry. This decision comes in preparation for upcoming contract negotiations with signatory video game companies.
SAG-AFTRA members have been on strike since July 14, 2023, but the strike has primarily affected TV, theater, and streaming agreements. The video game industry professionals had not been directly involved in strike action until now.
Fran Drescher, the President of SAG-AFTRA, expressed frustration, stating, “Here we go again! Now our Interactive (Video Game) Agreement is at a stalemate too. Once again, we are facing employer greed and disrespect. Once again, artificial intelligence is putting our members in jeopardy of reducing their opportunity to work. And once again, SAG-AFTRA is standing up to tyranny on behalf of its members.”
While the authorization vote itself does not immediately trigger a strike, it empowers the SAG-AFTRA board to declare a strike if video game companies fail to negotiate to the union’s satisfaction. The vote precedes upcoming contract negotiations with several video game companies, including Activision, EA, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, and Warner Brothers Games.
The union’s statement emphasizes the importance of those working in performance capture, a vital technology in modern games that contributes significantly to their success. According to SAG-AFTRA, the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) poses a significant threat to the careers of these artists, and the union is determined to address this threat.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, stated, “The voice and performance capture artists who bring video game characters to life deserve a contract that reflects the value they bring to the multibillion-dollar gaming industry. Voice and performance capture AI are already among the most advanced uses of AI: the threat is here, and it is real.”
While it remains uncertain whether SAG-AFTRA members in the video game industry will participate in the strike at this stage, the vote’s outcome could have significant implications for the industry if negotiations break down.
