SAG-AFTRA Licensed Video Game – The Hollywood Reporter

Illustration THR/Michael Buckner

SAG-AFTRA may soon take another hit.

On Monday, union members voted 98.32 percent in favor of authorizing a strike against the video game industry, with 34,687 members casting ballots and representing 27.47 percent of eligible voters. While the results do not guarantee a work stoppage, they do give union negotiators the ability to call a strike during ongoing negotiations for a new Interactive Media Agreement if they deem it necessary.

“It is time for video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract,” said Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA. “The result of this vote shows that our members understand the existential nature of these negotiations, and that now is the time for these companies — which make billions of dollars and pay their executives handsomely — to give our performers an agreement to continue performing via video.” Gaming as a viable career.

In response to the strike authorization vote, an IMA spokesperson said: “We will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA cast performers in video games.” We have reached tentative agreements on more than half of the proposals and are optimistic that a solution can be found at the negotiating table.

The voting period began on September 5 and ended on Monday before negotiations resumed on Tuesday. “We fear that without significant leverage, companies will continue to procrastinate on reaching an acceptable deal,” the union said in a statement. Web page about voting. “The outcome of the IMA negotiations will determine whether our members who work in interactive media can continue to earn a professional living doing the job they love.”

Negotiations for the new contract — which covers voice, motion capture and stunt work in video games, as well as other performances — have been ongoing for nearly a year with a group of employers including Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC and Disney Character Voices Inc. Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games, Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.

Through these conversations, the guild is seeking to significantly improve compensation for contract performers to counter the effects of inflation, regulate the use of artificial intelligence for performances in video games and implement greater safety measures for both on-camera performers and voice artists. “It’s not dramatic to say that we’re at a crossroads where the sustainability of career performance in video games is at stake,” Ben Whitehair, executive vice president of SAG-AFTRA, told members at a recent meeting. Informational video.

Ray Rodriguez, SAG-AFTRA’s chief contracts officer, has been leading union talks, while Kauff McGuire & Margolis managing partner William E. Zuckerman has been leading management negotiations.

“Between exploitative uses of AI and lagging wages, those who work in video games face many of the same issues as those who work in film and television,” Ray Rodriguez said. “This strike declaration makes an emphatic statement that we must reach an agreement that will fairly compensate these talented artists, provide common-sense safety measures, and allow them to work with dignity. Our members’ livelihoods depend on it.”