Latest news with #videoGameStrike
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify Interactive Media Agreement After 320-Day Video Game Strike
SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify the new interactive media agreement negotiated after an 11-month strike against video game developers and recording companies that were signatory to the contract. The union announced on Wednesday that 95.04% of members voted in favor of ratification. More from TheWrap SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify Interactive Media Agreement After 320-Day Video Game Strike WGA East Leaves Elon Musk's X in Protest of AI Grok's Antisemitic Posts LL Cool J Pulls Out of Philadelphia July 4 Concert in Solidarity With Striking City Workers California Bill Expanding Film and TV Tax Credit Eligibility Passes 'I commend the strong leadership of Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh, who remained steadfast through three years of hard bargaining while facing many challenging headwinds during a challenging negotiation cycle,' SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement. 'This deal achieves important progress around A.I. protections, and progress is the name of the game! My sincere respect goes out to the entire video game performer community and their allies for their solidarity during the strike which provided the necessary leverage to secure this deal's many essential gains.' Unlike SAG-AFTRA's 2023 TV/Theatrical strike, which had a variety of factors that led to the 118-day stoppage, the 320-day IMA strike was spurred solely by artificial intelligence, as the union's bargaining committee did not feel that the companies provided terms that would ensure that performers would have the transparency needed to give their informed consent, if they wished, for companies to make digital replicas of their performances and likeness. As part of the new deal, companies are required to inform performers about all the ways in which AI is planned to be used on their voice, likeness and movements and have their written consent to use the technology. Performers also have the ability to suspend consent of companies to use AI to create replicas of their work during a strike. '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,' SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in another statement. 'I'd also like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee and its chair, Sarah Elmaleh, who have worked tirelessly for nearly three years in order to achieve these necessary gains and protections alongside our negotiating staff and lead negotiator Ray Rodriguez. Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.' Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers party to the agreement, added, 'We are pleased that SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new Interactive Media Agreement, which delivers historic wage increases, industry-leading A.I. protections, and enhanced health and safety measures for performers. 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.' Minimum rates will also be established for the use of digital replicas created with union-covered performances. If those performances are created for the purpose of 'real-time generation' — i.e., creating a digital replica-voiced chatbot in a video game — the performer is entitled to at least 7.5x that minimum scale. Developers are also required to send performers that consent to AI usage a report detailing how their replica was used and which calculates their compensation. Due to clauses in the previous IMA that exempted video games developed and released prior to the start of the strike, the impact of the strike on the video game industry wasn't as widely felt as the 2023 TV/film strikes, where all Hollywood production was shut down. But that doesn't mean there wasn't an impact. Riot Games announced this past December that skins in their popular game 'League of Legends' would not come with new voice lines due to the strike. Famed developer Hideo Kojima also noted that his upcoming horror game 'OD,' which he co-wrote with Jordan Peele and stars 'It' actress Sophia Lillis, would be delayed due to the strike. The post SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify Interactive Media Agreement After 320-Day Video Game Strike appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Officially Over as Members Ratify Agreement
SAG-AFTRA is putting its video game strike in the rearview mirror. Members of the performers' union have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a labor agreement with major interactive companies that was reached in early June. More than 95 percent of voting members supported the deal in a vote, while less than five percent voiced their opposition, SAG-AFTRA announced on Wednesday. More from The Hollywood Reporter RPG 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' and Its Cinematic Cut Take the Karlovy Vary Spotlight CD Projekt Red Reveals 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2' at Anime Expo The First James Bond of the Amazon Era Is Young, Reckless, and a Playable Character The news officially puts an end to the union's video game strike, which stretched on from July 2024 to June 2025, when negotiators reached a tentative deal and SAG-AFTRA subsequently suspended its work stoppage. Overall, the agreement — whose predecessor originally expired in November 2022 — took an unusually long time, three years, to hammer out. But spanning 11 months, the union's strike wasn't anything to sniff at, either. The union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, nodded to the lengthy action in a statement. '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,' he said. 'Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.' During the strike, performance capture and voice actors ceased working for major companies like Activision Productions, Electronic Arts Productions and Insomniac Games. Disney Character Voices, Formosa Interactive, WB Games, Take 2 Productions, Blindlight and Llama Production were also subject to the labor action. The union framed the step as a necessary bulwark against their performers being exploited and undercut by AI. The sides had reached an agreement on 24 out of 25 proposals when SAG-AFTRA decided to walk away from the table in July 2024, a representative for the employers said at the time, with AI providing the breaking point. In a statement on Wednesday, the same representative for the video game firms extolled the agreement's changes to wages and language on A.I. and health and safety. '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,' spokesperson Audrey Cooling said. More to come. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Video game actors are voting on a new contract. Here's what it means for AI in gaming
A picketer holds a sign for the SAG-AFTRA video game strike at Warner Bros. Games headquarters on Aug. 1, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) LOS ANGELES — An 11-month strike by video game performers could formally end this week if members ratify a deal that delivers pay raises, control over their likenesses and artificial intelligence protections. The agreement feels 'like diamond amounts of pressure suddenly lifted,' said Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' interactive branch negotiating committee. Union members have until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific to vote on ratifying the tentative agreement. Voice and body performers for video games raised concerns that unregulated use of AI could displace them and threaten their artistic autonomy. 'It's obviously far from resolved,' Elmaleh said. 'But the idea that that we're in a zone where we might have concluded this feels like a lightening and a relief.' AI concerns are especially dire in the video game industry, where human performers infuse characters with distinctive movements, shrieks, falls and plot-twisting dialogue. 'I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business,' said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator. Here's a look at the contract currently up for vote, and what it means for the future of the video game industry. How did the current strike play out? Video game performers went on strike last July following nearly two years of failed negotiations with major game studios, as both sides remained split over generative AI regulations. More than 160 games signed interim agreements accepting AI provisions SAG-AFTRA was seeking, the union said, which allowed some work to continue. The video game industry is a massive global industry, generating an estimated US$187 billion in 2024, according to game market forecaster Newzoo. 'OD,' and 'Physint' were two games delayed due to the strike during the filming and casting stage, video game developer Hideo Kojima wrote in December. Riot Games, a video game developer, announced that same month that some new skins in 'League of Legends' would have to use existing voice-overs, since new content couldn't be recorded by striking actors. Skins are cosmetic items that can change the visual appearance of a player and is sometimes equipped with new voice-overs and unique recorded lines. The proposed contract 'builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union' to deliver 'historic wage increases' and 'industry-leading AI provisions,' wrote Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal. 'We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world,' Cooling wrote. Video game performers had previously gone on strike in October 2016, with a tentative deal reached 11 months later. That strike helped secure a bonus compensation structure for voice actors and performance capture artists. The agreement was ratified with 90 per cent support, with ten per cent of members voting. The proposed contract secures an increase in performer compensation of just over 15 per cent upon ratification and an additional three per cent increase each year of the three-year contract. How would AI use change in video games? AI concerns have taken center stage as industries across various sectors attempt to keep up with the fast-evolving technology. It's a fight that Hollywood writers and actors undertook during the historic film and TV strikes that forced the industry to a stop in 2023. 'In the last few years, it's become obvious that we are at an inflection point where rules of the road have to be set for AI, and if they aren't, the consequences are potentially very serious,' Crabtree-Ireland said. 'I think that really made this negotiation extra important for all of us.' SAG-AFTRA leaders have billed the issues behind the labor dispute — and AI in particular — as an existential crisis for performers. Game voice actors and motion capture artists' likenesses, they say, could be replicated by AI and used without their consent and without fair compensation. The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor. Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer's lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as the same amount of work time it would have required for a new performance. The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation. Elmaleh, who has been voice acting since 2010 and had to turn down projects throughout the strike, said securing these gains required voice actors bring vulnerability and openness to the bargaining table. 'We talked a lot about the personal, the way it affects our displacement as workers and just the sustainability of our careers,' Elmaleh said. 'Our work involves your inner child. It's being very vulnerable, it's being playful.' What's next for the video game industry? The tentative agreement centers on consent, compensation and transparency, which union leaders say are key elements needed for the industry to keep progressing. As the contract is considered by union members, Elmaleh and Crabtree-Ireland said further work needs to be done to ensure the provisions are as broad as necessary. 'Even though there's a deal that's been made now, and we've locked in a lot of really crucial protections and guardrails, the things that we haven't been able to achieve yet, we're going to be continuing to fight for them,' Crabtree-Ireland said. 'Every time these contracts expire is our chance to improve upon them.' Elmaleh said she hopes both the video game companies and performers can soon work collaboratively to develop guidelines on AI as the technology evolves — a process she said should start well the proposed contract would expire in October 2028. Leading negotiations has felt like a full-time job for Elmaleh, who took on the role in a volunteer capacity. As the efforts die down, she said she anxiously anticipates returning to video game acting in a landscape that is safer for performers. Voice acting 'is core to who I am. It's why I fought so hard for this. I wouldn't do this if I didn't love what I do so much. I think it's so special and worthy of protection,' she said. --- Itzel Luna, The Associated Press
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
video game actors' strike could change the rules for AI in gaming
A protracted 11-month strike by video game performers is poised to conclude this week, with union members voting on a tentative agreement that promises pay rises, control over their likenesses, and vital artificial intelligence protections. Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific to ratify the deal. Voice and body performers had raised significant concerns that unregulated AI use could displace them and threaten their artistic autonomy. Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of SAG-AFTRA's interactive branch negotiating committee, described the feeling as "like diamond amounts of pressure suddenly lifted." She added that while it is "obviously far from resolved," the prospect of concluding the dispute "feels like a lightening and a relief." AI concerns are especially dire in the video game industry, where human performers infuse characters with distinctive movements, shrieks, falls and plot-twisting dialogue. 'I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business,' said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator. Here's a look at the contract currently up for vote, and what it means for the future of the video game industry. How did the current strike play out? Video game performers went on strike last July following nearly two years of failed negotiations with major game studios, as both sides remained split over generative AI regulations. More than 160 games signed interim agreements accepting AI provisions SAG-AFTRA was seeking, the union said, which allowed some work to continue. The video game industry is a massive global industry, generating an estimated $187 billion in 2024, according to game market forecaster Newzoo. 'OD,' and 'Physint' were two games delayed due to the strike during the filming and casting stage, video game developer Hideo Kojima wrote in December. Riot Games, a video game developer, announced that same month that some new skins in 'League of Legends' would have to use existing voice-overs, since new content couldn't be recorded by striking actors. Skins are cosmetic items that can change the visual appearance of a player and is sometimes equipped with new voice-overs and unique recorded lines. The proposed contract "builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union" to deliver 'historic wage increases' and 'industry-leading AI provisions," wrote Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal. 'We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world,' Cooling wrote. Video game performers had previously gone on strike in October 2016, with a tentative deal reached 11 months later. That strike helped secure a bonus compensation structure for voice actors and performance capture artists. The agreement was ratified with 90% support, with 10% of members voting. The proposed contract secures an increase in performer compensation of just over 15% upon ratification and an additional 3% increase each year of the three-year contract. How would AI use change in video games? AI concerns have taken center stage as industries across various sectors attempt to keep up with the fast-evolving technology. It's a fight that Hollywood writers and actors undertook during the historic film and TV strikes that forced the industry to a stop in 2023. 'In the last few years, it's become obvious that we are at an inflection point where rules of the road have to be set for AI, and if they aren't, the consequences are potentially very serious,' Crabtree-Ireland said. 'I think that really made this negotiation extra important for all of us.' SAG-AFTRA leaders have billed the issues behind the labor dispute — and AI in particular — as an existential crisis for performers. Game voice actors and motion capture artists' likenesses, they say, could be replicated by AI and used without their consent and without fair compensation. The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor. Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer's lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as the same amount of work time it would have required for a new performance. The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation. Elmaleh, who has been voice acting since 2010 and had to turn down projects throughout the strike, said securing these gains required voice actors bring vulnerability and openness to the bargaining table. 'We talked a lot about the personal, the way it affects our displacement as workers and just the sustainability of our careers,' Elmaleh said. 'Our work involves your inner child. It's being very vulnerable, it's being playful.' What's next for the video game industry? The tentative agreement centers on consent, compensation and transparency, which union leaders say are key elements needed for the industry to keep progressing. As the contract is considered by union members, Elmaleh and Crabtree-Ireland said further work needs to be done to ensure the provisions are as broad as necessary. 'Even though there's a deal that's been made now, and we've locked in a lot of really crucial protections and guardrails, the things that we haven't been able to achieve yet, we're going to be continuing to fight for them,' Crabtree-Ireland said. 'Every time these contracts expire is our chance to improve upon them.' Elmaleh said she hopes both the video game companies and performers can soon work collaboratively to develop guidelines on AI as the technology evolves — a process she said should start well the proposed contract would expire in October 2028. Leading negotiations has felt like a full-time job for Elmaleh, who took on the role in a volunteer capacity. As the efforts die down, she said she anxiously anticipates returning to video game acting in a landscape that is safer for performers. Voice acting 'is core to who I am. It's why I fought so hard for this. I wouldn't do this if I didn't love what I do so much. I think it's so special and worthy of protection,' she said.
The Verge
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The video game actors' strike may be over soon
American Screen Actors Guild members have reached a 'tentative' contract agreement with major gaming companies that could potentially end the 11-month-long video game actors' strike. SAG-AFTRA announced the tentative contract on Monday without specifying terms or protections for performers. The strike began on July 26th, 2024, after the union and a bargaining committee of video game companies — including Activision, Epic Games, EA, Disney Character Voices, Take-Two, Insomniac Games, WB Games, and others — failed to agree on worker protections around AI. 'It is expected the terms of a strike suspension agreement will be finalized with employers soon,' SAG-AFTRA announced. 'Until such agreement is reached, however, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike against these employers.' The contract is subject to approval by the SAG-AFTRA national board and is expected to be put to a ratification vote with union members 'in the coming weeks.' If all goes well, the lengthy list of restrictions preventing SAG-AFTRA's approximately 160,000 members from undertaking video game projects will be lifted, alleviating some development headaches for new titles. '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,' SAG-AFTRA's Chief Negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in the announcement. 'Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary AI guardrails that defend performers' livelihoods in the AI age, alongside other important gains.'
