By Danielle Broadway
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hollywood video game voice and motion capture actors and video game studios reached a tentative agreement on Monday with new conditions for the interactive media contract, pending review from the actor guild’s national board.
A press release from Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) detailed the deal following the almost year-long strike centered on artificial intelligence (AI) protections and wage increase.
SAG-AFTRA has pending agreements with Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc after striking since July 2024.
After the strike began, the guild filed an unfair labor practice charge in 2024 and added company Formosa Interactive to the list of studios for work stoppage.
Formosa provides voiceover services for the popular online game “League of Legends,”.
“Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary AI guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the AI age, alongside other important gains,” SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in the press release.
The guild said until the official agreement is made, video game actors will remain on strike against these employers.
The work stoppage of video game voice actors and motion-capture performers started following failed contract negotiations focused around AI-related protections for workers, bringing about another work stoppage in Hollywood following the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023.
The strike brings with it a larger call to action across Hollywood as people in the industry advocate for a law that can protect them from AI risks as well.
The NO FAKES Act, a bipartisan bill in Congress which would make it illegal to make an AI replica of someone’s likeness and voice without their permission, has gained support from the SAG-AFTRA performers union, the Motion Picture Association, The Recording Academy and Disney.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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