SAG-AFTRA members under the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA), the contract under which video game companies hire voice actors for their games have overwhelmingly voted to approve the new version of the contract that had been negotiated for the last three years, officially bringing an end to the strike that began in July 2024.
SAG-AFTRA announced that the deal, which was tentatively reached last month and marked a suspension of the strike, was approved after 95.04% of members voted ‘Yes’ to ratifying the deal, with only 4.96% of members voting ‘No.’
The core issue that kept negotiations going for so long, and that kicked off the strike, revolved around generative AI tools and actors wanting to ensure they would be protected against video game companies abusing the technology to use actors’ voices and likenesses without properly compensating the actors and without the actors’ consent. This new deal includes a pay raise for actors, but more significantly, it includes the protections that SAG-AFTRA members and contract negotiators were hoping to achieve.
“The new contract also accomplishes performer safety guardrails and gains around A.I., including consent and disclosure requirements for A.I. digital replica use and the ability for performers to suspend consent for generation of new material during a strike,” SAG-AFTRA’s statement on the deals ratification reads.
SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said on the deal’s approval, “I commend the strong leadership of Interactive Media Agreement negotiating chair Sarah Elmaleh, who remained steadfast through three years of hard bargaining while facing many challenging headwinds during a challenging negotiating cycle. This deal achieves important progress around A.I. protections, and progress is the name of the game! My sincere respect goes out to the entire video game performer community and their allies for their solidarity during the strike which provided the necessary leverage to secure this deal’s many essential gains.”
Chief negotiator and SAG-AFTRA national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland added, “All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice through the 11-month strike. I’d also like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, and its chair, Sarah Elmaleh, who have worked tirelessly for nearly three years in order to achieve these necessary gains and protections alongside our negotiating staff and lead negotiator Ray Rodriguez.“
For the part of the video game companies like Take-Two, Activision, PlayStation, EA, and more on the other side of the aisle, spokesperson Audrey Cooling said, “We are pleased that SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new Interactive Media Agreement, which delivers historic wage increases, industry-leading A.I. protections, and enhanced health and safety measures for performers. We look forward to building on our industry’s decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide.“
Now that the agreement has been ratified, actors under the IMA won’t have to worry about another potential strike or negotiating period for at least a few years. The conclusion of the strike also means that we won’t have to see any games delayed due to companies not being able to hire actors to cast in their games.
