We were glad to hear that The Writers Guild of America finally made headway in achieving a fair deal with the AMPTP. The studios’ refusal to grant writers the protections and compensations they deserve continued to extend the strike, but recently a tentative agreement was reached. Then, the SAG-AFTRA strike happened and eventually came to yet another tentative agreement. There’s likely much to still work out with both of those strikes, but now another strike is on the table. On September 25, 2023, SAG-AFTRA’s members voted to authorize a video game strike. In fact, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of a video game strike. 98.32% of those who voted, over 34,000 people, agreed to strike authorization. According to Deadline, the video game strike is actually happening and will begin on July 26 at 12:01AM.
Why Is the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike Happening?
The union is calling a work stoppage against the major video game companies after nearly two years of trying to renegotiate its Interactive Media Agreement. Here is a previous release from SAG-AFTRA that shares more details about the situation between SAG-AFTRA members and the video game industry. It notes:
The strike authorization does not mean the union is calling a strike. SAG-AFTRA has been in Interactive Media Agreement negotiations with signatory video game companies (Activision Productions Inc, Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Epic Games, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.) since October 2022. Throughout the negotiations, the companies have refused to offer acceptable terms on some of the issues most critical to our members, including wages that keep up with inflation, protections around exploitative uses of artificial intelligence, and basic safety precautions.
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland also shared the following:
“The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games. That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies. Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that.”
What’s Next for This Video Game Industry Strike?
This is all a developing story, therefore it is not clear what will happen nor when the next round of negotiations will take place. But we do know that AI is a very serious issue in this strike, which a spokesperson for video game producers details, saying: “We are disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations. We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions. Our offer is directly responsive to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends meaningful AI protections that include requiring consent and fair compensation to all performers working under the IMA. These terms are among the strongest in the entertainment industry.”
As with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes against the AMPTP, this strike is borne from the needs of hardworking people to survive and live. Hopefully, the video game companies can respect the requests of those that help them to thrive. You can read more about how to help striking workers here. Additionally, more information about the video game strike will become available here.
Originally published on September 26, 2023.
