Performers and video game companies reach deal that ends nearly year-long strike

Performers in the SAG-AFTRA union have suspended their nearly year-long strike against major video game companies that temporarily halted much of the work that goes into game production. The two sides hammered out a tentative agreement that includes “guardrails” against the use of artificial intelligence.

“Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, said in a statement. “Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains.”

Voiceover and body movement performers in the union had been at odds with companies such as Activision Productions, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, WB Games and others, since last July.

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative contract agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in video games,” Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal, wrote in a statement.

“This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union. It delivers historic wage increases of over 24% for performers, enhanced health and safety protections, and industry-leading AI provisions requiring transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games,” she noted. “We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world.”

One of the sticking points of the negotiations had been over the use of artificial intelligence in video game productions. Some performers worried that their work could be replaced by A.I. Others were concerned that their performances could be considered merely “data.”

“It’s really scary to think about how far our data has gone, and the breaches of consent that may have already happened because performers were signing contracts that they didn’t fully understand,” stunt performer Omar Zaki said on a picket line in October.

Zaki has performed in video games including Fortnight, Mortal Kombat I, and The Callisto Protocol. He said he was worried that the computer data collected from his performances could be used “in perpetuity” without his permission.

He said he went on strike “to draw really clear boundaries about when it’s okay to use our data and when it’s not okay to. So many of us love this work, and we are very good at what we do. And the companies who employ us benefit greatly from bringing us on.”

On the same picket line, voiceover actors Scott Lambright and Kyle McCarley said they worried about the possibility that A.I. could be used to replace their jobs, too.

“We want to know how it’s being used and we want to be compensated appropriately,” said Lambright, who’s worked on games such as The Last of Us Parts I and II, Fallout 76 and Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed. “There are times when it makes sense to use this technology, and then there are times when you’re never going to match the performance of a human actor who can give you nuanced expression.”

McCarley also worried that A.I. could be used to misrepresent voiceover performers.

“What terrifies me is the prospect of anybody having the ability to put any words they want into anybody’s mouth,” he said.

“It just scares me so much,” Lambright agreed. “There’s all these things I would never say: endorsing a political candidate I don’t want to endorse; or saying ‘I hate unions’ or something racist. I would never want that. Now we have to be on guard of not only watching what we say, but watching what someone will make us say without our consent.”

Details about the interim agreement were not immediately released, but the deal will first go to the union’s board this week before being ratified by union members.

During the strike, more than 120 video games from 49 companies signed “interim agreements” with the union, promising to give union members additional compensation and the ability to consent to A.I. use.

Voice actor Sarah Elmaleh, the chair of the union’s negotiating committee, told NPR she was delighted by these companies’ cooperation.

“Many employers were more than willing to provide these protections to our performers, ” she said, “so they could work in games with peace of mind.”

Elmaleh said during the strike, some video game companies that did not sign agreements tried to lure in performers with misleading auditions.

“We’ve seen folks put out casting notices under a commercial contract when it’s actually for a game. We’ve seen all kinds of evasive maneuvers, ” said Elmaleh, who called the tactics “shady.”

Despite some interim agreements, some performers worried that this year’s disruption to the video game industry has been “cataclysmic,” and will have ripple effects for months, as video game production ramps back up.

It’s part of a larger wave of labor action in Hollywood. In 2023, performers with SAG- AFTRA went on strike for months before signing a contract with major Hollywood studios. Their agreement also now has A.I. protections.

Other entertainment industry workers have now secured similar agreements. While negotiating for a new contract with Hollywood studios in October, The Animation Guild signed a contract with unionized workers at a studio in Texas – the guild’s first agreement in a right-to-work state. And for the first time, a small group of motion capture staff at a video game studio voted to unionize with IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The 21 full time staff members at 2K Motion Capture include animators, audio specialists, stage technicians and engineers who work on games including NBA 2K, TopSpin 2K, and more.

Lambright said even with a new contract for SAG-AFTRA, video game performers will have to be vigilant to ensure the new provisions are enforced. And he said he hopes for federal legislation to ensure that A.I. isn’t used in ways that workers haven’t consented to.

“That’s going to be the thing that’s really going to help us,” he said.

Editor’s note: Many NPR employees are members of SAG-AFTRA, but are under a different contract and were not on strike.