Lightspeed L.A. signs with SAG-AFTRA, agrees to AI protections for performers

Lightspeed L.A. and performers union SAG-AFTRA have just announced the studio will produce the upcoming open-world adventure Last Sentinel using union talent under the organization’s Interim Interactive Media Agreement. The arrangement allows members to work at Lightspeed L.A. despite the current strike, as the studio has agreed to all of the provisions of the agreement, chief among them protections against potentially exploitative AI practices.

Actors have been wary of the unethical uses of genAI for performance capture, which was high among the reasons for the strike in the first place. Basically, an unscrupulous developer could hire a performer once and then use the assets to generate content without the actor’s consent or compensation for their performance. The Interim agreement has rules in place protecting performers from such harm.

In a statement, interactive media agreement negotiating committee chair Sarah Elmaleh said, “This strike has always been as much about the start of work with proper AI protections as it is stopping work without them. Lightspeed L.A. understands how crucial these protections are to the actors, and followed through with an outstanding commitment not only to this cast, but their future casts.”

“They made their genuine appreciation of performers as contributors concrete and impactful. I am thrilled about this partnership and cannot wait to see what this talented team of developers and performers makes together.”

Steve Martin, general manager at Lightspeed L.A., said, “Lightspeed L.A. has always recognized and valued the irreplaceable role of talent, which injects creativity, innovation, and the human touch into video games. Supporting our cast is the right thing to do and there was never any hesitation to consider the performer protections that anchor this agreement.”

Last Sentinel on the horizon

Lightspeed LA was opened by Tencent in 2019 with a mission to produce open-world games especially. Last Sentinel—the studio’s first game—is pitched as a narrative-focused open-world action game set in a futuristic Tokyo. Some of the game’s recent social media revolves around Lightspeed L.A.’s new motion capture stage and performance direction, so guaranteeing the ability to work with union talent makes a great deal of sense for the project (and for any studio looking to work with SAG-AFTRA long term).

Other studios looking to work with union talent should look at the Interim Interactive Media Agreement for guidance.