Destiny 2’s Heresy DLC won’t have full voice acting due to SAG-AFTRA strike

In place of certain voice lines will be subtitles.
destiny 2 heresy dlc update

Destiny 2‘s upcoming Heresy DLC, set to launch on 4 February 2025, won’t have full voice acting for all lines, as SAG-AFTRA union members working in the games space are still on strike. Per Bungie, certain voice lines will be silent in-game, with subtitles standing in for actors.

These subtitles will be on by default, to “ensure players do not miss any narrative content” and they will be customisable based on size, colour, and background. In addition, any Heresy activities that have missing voice acting “will display a warning before launching those activities.”

Bungie’s notice is an important reminder that SAG-AFTRA game actors remain on strike, and have been campaigning for better protections in their work contracts since July 2024. The major sticking point of these contract negotiations is AI, as many video game companies are currently refusing to provide guarantees to actors that their voices will not be replicated and exploited using AI technology.

“[SAG-AFTRA members who work in video games] deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies,” Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA president said in the initial strike announcement.

“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough.”

Read: Why SAG-AFTRA video game actors are striking

Since the announcement of the strike, work on around 80 games with union talent has progressed, due to the signing of interim contract agreements with SAG-AFTRA. Companies including Lightspeed L.A., Studio Wildcard, Little Bat Games, and more are part of these agreements.

It appears Bungie is not one of the signees, as work on Heresy has been significantly impacted.

It’s worth nothing it’s not the only company impacted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Riot Games recently confirmed new League of Legends skins would lack custom voiceovers due to the strike, and Kojima Productions has also admitted the strike has impacted work on upcoming games Physint, and OD.

What’s next for the SAG-AFTRA strike?

At this stage, it’s unclear how companies will progress with future plans for big budget games that have SAG-AFTRA talent on board. Since July 2024, there has been minimal movement on overarching contract negotiations, despite the growing risk of AI being used to exploit signed talent. The reality is game production will be impacted for as long as studios refuse to provide requested AI protections.

While SAG-AFTRA has returned to the negotiating table since the strike began, a solution appears further away than ever. Until the video game companies and the union can agree, companies like Bungie will continue to implement lesser features to circumvent the inclusion of union voice talent – even to the detriment of game quality.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.