SAG-AFTRA, Game Firms Strike Tentative AI Deal for Actors

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has reached a tentative deal on its interactive media agreement, which could resolve nearly a year of labor disputes throughout the video game sector.

The SAG-AFTRA video game labor strike began in July 2024, when the union and major gaming companies—Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, and WB Games—could not agree on AI usage policies. Following that, more than 98% of union members voted to authorize the strike.

Initially, it was unclear how the strike would influence specific games, but visible effects emerged industry-wide. Players noted that popular live-service titles such as Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft featured muted NPCs in scenes that normally included voice work, potentially due to the strike. Later last year, SAG-AFTRA extended the strike to League of Legends after Riot reportedly tried to bypass the strike by canceling a game project. Additionally, Activision confirmed it had recast certain voice roles for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 after fan feedback about the altered performances.

Now, however, the union has announced a "tentative agreement" pending review and approval by its national board. Strike activities are expected to be suspended soon, but until the board approves the draft, union members will continue to strike against the involved companies.

"We at SAG-AFTRA deeply appreciate the commitment and sacrifices of our video game performers and the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee during these long months of the video game strike," stated Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator for SAG-AFTRA.

"Our steady efforts have secured a contract that introduces crucial AI protections to safeguard performers’ income in this new era, along with other meaningful improvements.”

SAG-AFTRA also filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Epic Games after the studio introduced an AI-generated Darth Vader character in Fortnite. The union alleged that, over the prior six months, Llama Productions (an Epic Games subsidiary) did not negotiate in good faith with SAG-AFTRA’s video game performers and had made "unilateral changes to working conditions without notifying or bargaining with the union, by using AI voices to replace union-covered roles" in Fortnite.

Earlier in March, Ashly Burch, the voice of Aloy in Horizon, responded to a leaked AI-generated video featuring Aloy, using the incident to highlight the needs of striking voice performers. Burch said the AI Aloy clip made her "concerned about the future of performance as an art form," and she used it to discuss the ongoing video game voice actors' strike.

“Our core demands are simple: you must get our permission before creating any AI version of our performance, compensate us fairly, and explain how our AI likeness will be used,” Burch explained.

“My concern isn’t about the technology itself, or even that game studios are exploring it. That’s inevitable—they’ve always adopted new tech. But imagining a similar video that actually features a real actor’s voice, face, or motion, and realizing that if we lose this fight, that performer would have no protection, no legal recourse… that idea truly saddens and frightens me. I love this industry and the artistry of game performance. I want to see future generations of actors succeed, witness more amazing in-game performances, and continue this work myself. Without a fair agreement, that future is truly at risk."