SAG-AFTRA has issued an update on negotiations for a better contract for voice actors working in video games, confirming while some progress has been made, there’s still a long way to go before a formal agreement is reached. That’s due to major AI clauses that SAG-AFTRA believes are “still filled with alarming loopholes that will leave [its] members vulnerable to AI abuse.”
Per SAG-AFTRA, the last proposal from the bargaining group representing studios involved was not satisfactory, and the two groups are “not close” to any sort of agreement. The union has recently submitted a counter to the proposal that attempts to address overarching concerns and “all of the loopholes” presented, with a view to create a contract “that offers the minimum protections our members need in order to maintain sustainable careers as video game performers.”
As for what the bargaining group is requesting, SAG-AFTRA has detailed a long list of allowances that would allegedly enable studios to “use all past performances and any performance they can source from outside the contract without any of the protections being bargained.”
“You could be told nothing about your replica being used, offered nothing in the way of payment, and you could do nothing about it,” the union said.
Read: Why SAG-AFTRA video game actors are striking
“They want to be able to make your replica continue to work, as you, during a future strike, whether you like it or not. And once you’ve given your specific consent for how your replica can be used, they refuse to tell you what they actually did with it.”
It’s allegedly these terms that are proving to be difficult to overcome, with SAG-AFTRA and the bargaining group at loggerheads over better protection for performers, and their continued say in how their performances are used.
Given we’ve seen what some companies are planning on potentially doing with AI in future, it feels more important than ever that these rights are protected, and that performers are adequately compensated while also maintaining control over their contributions.
Some good news from SAG-AFTRA
Despite SAG-AFTRA confirming it’s “frustratingly far apart” on terms for a new contract for video game voice actors, there is some good news in the union’s latest update.
More than 160 games have now signed onto the interim agreement to protect performers, with work going ahead on a range of projects where studio leads have agreed to protect and compensate their voice actors adequately.
Here’s to hoping this agreement can eventually be entrenched in all global studios, for a better future for voice actors overall.
