SAG-AFTRA and the WGA have put the world of streaming, television and films on pause, and now it could be the case that actors who work in games will go on strike as well.
It’s not exactly a secret that voice actors in games aren’t really given a proper shake in most cases, and if companies like Activision, EA, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Take-Two and WB don’t properly come to the table, multiple games could be put on pause due to a strike.
Actors who work in games are still part of SAG-AFTRA, though they fall under a contract called the IMA (Interactive Media Agreement). Last year, the previous agreement expired, and publishers and SAG agreed to a one-year extension before re-negotiating the contract.
A strike authorization vote will be held, meaning that eligible voting members of SAG-AFTRA under the IMA will vote on whether or not SAG will go to the bargaining table with the power to issue a strike, if its conditions aren’t being met by game publishers and developers.
The vote will last until September 25, 2023, with two information meetings held prior on September 7, 2023 and September 12, 2023.
The hope is of course that the actors who bring the characters and games we love to life will finally get a fair deal when negotiations begin again on September 26, 2023, so that even if they do vote in favour of SAG having strike authorization, it’s not a card it has to play at the bargaining table.
Source – [SAG-AFTRA]
