SAG-AFTRA has suspended its strike against ten game studios. The organization’s national board will meet tomorrow to consider a tentative agreement with the developers; more details of the arrangement will be disclosed if and when the board agrees to the terms.
Variety obtained a statement from a spokesperson for the gaming companies that offered some hints about the contents of the potential deal: “This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union. It delivers historic wage increases of over 24 percent for performers, enhanced health and safety protections, and industry-leading AI provisions requiring transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games.”
It’s been almost a year since the performers’ union called a strike against the companies participating in the Interactive Media Agreement. The move was part of an effort to secure protections for its members regarding AI-generated likenesses of their voices and bodies in the gaming industry. The studios signatory to the IMA are:
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Activision Productions Inc.
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Blindlight LLC
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Disney Character Voices Inc.
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Electronic Arts Productions Inc.
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Formosa Interactive LLC
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Insomniac Games Inc.
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Llama Productions LLC
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Take 2 Productions Inc.
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VoiceWorks Productions Inc.
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WB Games Inc.
In addition to the negotiations with the IMA businesses, SAG-AFTRA recently took action against Epic Games for its use of an AI-generated voice for Darth Vader in Fortnite.
