Video game voice actors and motion capture performers have gone on strike after labor contract negotiations regarding AI-related protections failed, plunging Hollywood into yet another work stoppage.
The SAG-AFTRA union announced on Thursday that the strike against the Interactive Media Agreement for video game actors would take effect on July 26.
This decision came after months of negotiations with major video game companies, including Activision Productions, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Take-Two Interactive, Disney Character Voices, and WB Games of Warner Bros Discovery.
The Interactive Media Agreement expired in November 2022 and had been extended monthly during negotiations.
“Although agreements have been reached on many issues important to SAG-AFTRA members, employers have refused to commit in clear and enforceable language to protect the AI rights of all actors covered by this contract,” the union said in a statement.
The SAG-AFTRA union also represents film and television actors who went on strike last July due to inadequate AI protections, marking the first time in 63 years that Hollywood faced two simultaneous strikes.
