In what could be an escalation of the current labor disputes taking place throughout the entertainment industry, members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) have voted to authorize a strike against ten major video game companies. News of SAG-AFTRA’s walkout potentially expanding to cover the gaming industry comes as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) officially ends a strike that saw thousands of writers take to the picket line to demand better pay and protections against the growing use of AI in the entertainment industry.
SAG-AFTRA members have voted in favor of authorizing a strike against ten major gaming companies
As initially reported by the Associated Press, SAG-AFTRA members voted to potentially expand their ongoing walkout to include the video game industry. With a large number of video game voice actors and performers currently holding SAG-AFTRA membership, a walkout could cause problems for an industry reliant on high-quality voice talent and performance capture to bring life to its increasingly realistic worlds. Showing the high level of support for potential action against some of the largest companies in gaming, Axios reports that 98.32% of the 34,687 ballots cast were in favor of authorizing the strike.
The companies that could be affected if the strike proceeds include some of gaming’s heaviest hitters, from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 developer Insomniac Games Inc. to Unreal Engine 5 developer Epic Games. According to a statement posted by Axios from gaming company representative Audrey Cooling, the affected companies plan to “negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in video games.” With a growing number of AAA titles making the inclusion of voice performances by high-profile actors a central part of their marketing, such as Idris Elba’s appearance in Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty DLC, a strike could lead to delays for numerous games already in production.
Much like their counterparts in the WGA, video game performers in SAG-AFTRA have expressed a desire for better pay and protection against the use of AI to replace human artists. Following the successful resolution of the WGA strike, there’s some hope that the parties will be able to reach a mutual agreement without the need for a walkout, though a strike wouldn’t be unprecedented. Beginning in October 2016, voice actors represented by SAG-AFTRA began a strike against 11 major gaming companies that wasn’t resolved until November of the following year.
