SAG-AFTRA boss on video game strike and possible boycott

SAG-AFTRA will resume negotiations with video game publishers next week in hopes of ending the actors’ strike that has been ongoing since July 26, the same weekend that San Diego Comic Con began.

Both sides say they remain optimistic they can reach an agreement on the final sticking point in a 25-point proposal – questions surrounding the use of generative AI in games, particularly around motion and performance capture. But SAG-AFTRA is considering the possibility of using a tactic it didn’t use during last year’s television and film studio strike: a formal boycott.

“It’s a tool that’s in our toolbox,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, executive director of SAG-AFTRA diversity. “These companies are based on both supply and demand. And yes, we have disrupted the labor supply to produce these projects, but we have not even begun to seriously disrupt demand. And the holidays are a particularly effective time if we would choose to run such a campaign. And we have the support of the AFL-CIO and the 15 million union members and their families across this country, in addition to the members of the public who have shown that they actually care about AI abuses, because they all see how it plays out can impact us all.”

As of the end of September, 90 video game titles had signed either the SAG-AFTRA-proposed Interim Media Agreement or the Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Agreement aimed at indie developers, as the strike is largely handled on a title-by-title basis rather than a studio-by-studio basis. According to SAG-AFTRA, one of the largest developers to agree to the terms for their games is “Last Sentinel” maker Lightspeed LA. “Does anyone think they are destroying the future of their company or making games impossible to produce? They don’t,” Crabtree-Ireland said.

The artists’ union’s national executive director says video game publishers’ justification for not agreeing to AI language around motion and performance capture is unfounded. Publishers argue that motion capture work is largely used as an amalgamation of actors’ performances in video games and producers are unable to take this into account when making compensation.

“Video games, like films and series, are collaborative works and require the talents of all types of actors and performers,” said Crabtree-Ireland. “This is why the Video Game Negotiating Group’s tactic of dividing performers and treating voice actors and on-camera actors differently is so wrong. When these companies hire a performance capture actor, a motion actor, or a stunt performer, they hire that person because of the unique contribution they bring to the game. Pretending that’s not the case, and then trying to use his influence to fund these artists’ creations and performances so they can reuse them for new performances in the future – using AI – without any Consent or compensation, is completely unacceptable and simply wrong. ”

Crabtree-Ireland added: “The justification put forward by the Video Games Negotiating Group is intended to sound good to the public and to serve as a cover for the creation of a collection of actors and performances that they particularly use without informed consent or appropriate Remuneration can be used.” This involves targeting actors who do not have the individual influence to block them. This is done with the clear intention of using digital replicas of performances in the future in order to avoid engaging the artist themselves or even obtaining their consent. And in my opinion that is wrong; Our members know this is wrong. And there are a number of people in the industry, including people who work for these same game companies, who know that this is wrong.”

Crabtree-Ireland spoke to diversity shortly after SAG-AFTRA declared a strike against “League of Legends,” a massively multiplayer online game produced in part by studio Formosa Interactive, which was previously exempt from the strike. Formosa, a member of the contract negotiation team on the publishing side, is leading the voiceover of “League of Legends,” and SAG-AFTRA called a strike against the game after accusing Formosa of trying to cancel another game during the work stoppage.

“Formosa is a long-standing employer of union talent and we refuse to let these baseless allegations distract us from the goal of reaching a fair deal that benefits everyone,” Paul Lipson, senior vice president of Formosa Interactive, said in a statement Statement to diversity in response to Crabtree-Ireland’s comments. “We look forward to returning to the negotiating table and building on the significant progress already made in these negotiations.”

Companies negotiating alongside Formosa include Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions and WB Games.

“We value actors’ contributions to our productions and want to continue to work with them to provide fans with great entertainment experiences,” said Audrey Cooling, spokeswoman for the video game companies that are parties to the Interactive Media Agreement, in a separate statement. “We have already found common ground with the Union on 24 of 25 proposals and remain committed to resolving the remaining issues at the negotiating table so we can end this strike and secure historic wage increases, industry-leading AI protections and much more.” More Benefits for video game artists working within the IMA.”

Before it was announced Tuesday that the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee and the video game companies negotiating the IMA would resume talks on the contract, Crabtree-Ireland said it was “noticeable that we have so many companies that “The Interim and Phased Independent Agreements,” including Lightspeed LA.

As these video game companies align themselves with SAG-AFTRA’s values ​​when it comes to AI, Crabtree-Ireland hopes that the mega-publishers will agree to the language that the actors’ union has adopted from the smaller brands.

“The text of these agreements is publicly available: Interim Agreements, publicly available; tiered independents, open to the public. “This language is what we’re looking for,” Crabtree-Ireland said. “If there is a reasonable adjustment to the language that can help achieve a deal, we will look at it. But we are very transparent about what we are looking for. Our members do not want to strike; They have to strike. So as soon as we can get a fair deal with these companies and get them back to work, we will do that. So you know the ball is really in the companies’ court.”