By Gavin Boyle
Following an 11-month strike, the video game actors represented by SAG-AFTRA can now return to work at big studios after a new contract between the parties was ratified during a whole union vote.
“All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice throughout the 11-month strike. Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important AI protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve,” said Duncan Crabtree Ireland, SAG-AFTRA national executive and Chief Negotiator.
“We are pleased that SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new Interactive Media agreement, which delivers historic wage increase, industry-leading A.I. protections, and enhanced healthy and safety measures for performers,” added Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the major game studios. “We look forward to building on our industry’s decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide.”
The strike began on July 26, 2024, after negotiations between the two sides, which had already been ongoing for 18 months, ground to a halt. Much like the 2023 dual writers’ and actors’ strikes, video game performers were concerned with wages and healthcare, though their main focus was on AI protections.
In October 2024, the two sides had agreed on 24 out of 25 proposals, with a dispute over AI protection serving as the remaining point. Nine months of intense back and forth followed as SAG-AFTRA negotiators attempted to protect all of its members from AI replacement, while studios argued that not all performers should be protected.
Related: Why Video Game Performers Fight for the Strongest AI Protections Yet
“The industry has told us point blank that they do not necessarily consider everyone who is rendering movement performance to be a performer that is covered by the collective bargaining agreement,” SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez said in October when explaining where the union is fighting for stronger protections.
“I can crawl all over the floor and the walls as such-and-such creature, and [the studios] will argue that is not performance, and so that is not subject to their AI protections,” added Andi Norris, a motion capture performer who is on the union’s negotiation team.
Eventually, the studios relented to the pressure, and in June, they struck a tentative deal with the union which was approved by the negotiation team. In the following weeks, members of the union voted on the new contract, and it was ratified with a 90.04% yes vote to 4.96% no.
The long strike has clearly paid off as the actors have received a major increase in pay and benefits while also finding strong protections against the rise of AI.
Read Next: Will the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike End Soon?
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