SAG-AFTRA, Video Game Companies Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike

After more than nine months on strike, the SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative agreement with video game companies that are signatory to its Interactive Media Agreement.

However, in a memo to members on Monday, the guild said that until the terms of a strike suspension agreement are finalized, members will remain on strike.

Terms of the tentative deal have not been made public; SAG-AFTRA’s national board will now review the terms of the deal and if approved, make them public at that time.

The news comes after the companies sent a counterproposal on May 14, answering remaining sticking points on a previous proposal that the companies had characterized as their “last, best and final offer.”

While the two sides had reached an agreement on nearly all issues after nearly a year of on-and-off talks, protections for voice actors and motion capture performers against exploitative use of artificial intelligence remained the major sticking point that led SAG-AFTRA to call the strike on July 26 of last year.

Unlike the 2023 film and television strike, not all video games were struck as part of the work stoppage. A side letter in the previous contract allowed games that entered initial development prior to the expiration of the previous contract in August 2023 to be exempt from the strike. This included many major games such as “Fortnite” and the upcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI.”

Among the final sticking points resolved this past month were rules that would allow performers who had given their consent for digital replicas based on their likeness, voice and performance to withdraw that consent in the event of a strike so that the replicas could not be used to complete struck work.

The companies also agreed to remove the clause offering to pay a flat rate to performers — at least six times the pertinent minimum wage — for three years of unlimited use of a digital replica. SAG-AFTRA said such a rate would undermine the ability of their members to make a living as performers as any performance with enough required material to make a digital replica viable would offer more money if the performer did the job themselves.

“Our video game performers stood strong against the biggest employers in one of the world’s most lucrative industries. Their incredible courage and persistence, combined with the tireless work of our negotiating committee, has at last secured a deal. The needle has been moved forward and we are much better off than before. As soon as this is ratified we roll up our sleeves and begin to plan the next negotiation. Every contract is a work in progress and progress is the name of the game,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement Monday night.

“Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike. Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains. Thank you, Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh and Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez for your hard work and advocacy in pursuit of this contract,” the guild’s National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said.

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