SAG-AFTRA performers and game devs to reignite negotiations next week

Nearly three months after video game voice actors went on strike, SAG-AFTRA says it will reenter negotiations with developers.

Next Wednesday, October 23, the actor union will resume speaking with the bargaining group representing triple-A developers such as EA, Insomniac Games, and Take-Two.

Beyond that, it said neither it or the developers had any further comment at this time.

A timeline of the video game actors’ strike

Before the strike started in late July, SAG-AFTRA members had been bargaining with the studios for some time. The main holdover concerned studios’ use of generative AI, which could potentially replicate actors’ voices (and potentially without their explicit consent).

With a strike previously authorized during those talks, voice actors began picketing in earnest. Since August, there have been in-person strike pickets at the California offices for WB Games, EA, and Disney.

During this time, EA said the strike would not affect its output in the short term. Conversely, Genshin Impact creator MiHoYo vaguely indicated its game was impacted.

In late September, SAG-AFTRA vocally decried voice over studio Formosa Interactive. The company, which has worked on Genshin and League of Legends, was accused of attempting to “subvert” the strike by cancelling a struck game and seeking out non-union talent.

The union subsequently called for a strike against League of Legends (which was unstruck up until this point) and called on its voice actors to immediately stop doing voice work for the game.

In response, Riot stressed it had nothing to do with the SAG-Formosa situation, and that whatever game Formosa had cancelled work on was not one it was involved with.

Meanwhile, Formosa “fully rejected” SAG-AFTRA’s allegations. At the time, it argued it “as not acted in any manner to undermine employee or union rights.”

“We stand with developers, publishers, platform holders, and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all,” it assured.