SAG-AFTRA the actors union has called a strike against video game companies that use actors’ images or voices in games. The strike will start immediately, after more than a year and a half of negotiations.
Members of the 160,000-person union will no longer “act” in video games produced by Activision Blizzard, WB Games, Electronic Arts and seven other companies covered by an interactive-media agreement. The agreement expired in November 2022, and last summer the union terminated an extension.
SAG-AFTRA’s demands are similar to those it sought from television and movie studios last year: higher wages and job protections from the threat of artificial intelligence.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director and chief negotiator, commented: “Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of the last year — that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to AI.”
The companies said: “We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions.”
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