Member Message Regarding New Replica Studios Agreement

Dear Member,

On behalf of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, we are pleased to announce a groundbreaking new agreement with Replica Studios. Replica Studios is a new signatory to SAG-AFTRA contracts and the agreement is an important step forward in establishing union protections, terms, and conditions for the use of digital voice replication in the video game industry.

It is important to note that this is not our Interactive Media Agreement itself — we continue to negotiate with the major video game companies to achieve the protections we need in that agreement, including A.I. protections, and the strike authorization we have already secured remains a tool to be deployed in that negotiation if needed.

SAG-AFTRA members including those represented by your Interactive Media Negotiating Committee — many of whom are actors with significant and diverse experience performing in games, including in VO roles – were deeply involved in the negotiation of this agreement. It is important to note that the contract was specifically tailored to the needs of voice actors, ensuring informed consent and proper compensation terms that are unique to this set of performers. After an exhaustive negotiating process, we achieved our goals in this agreement, and the committee unanimously approved it.

We want you to be fully informed about the new agreement and to that end we are posting the agreement along with helpful informational materials including a summary and FAQs. We invite you to review the full text of the agreement here, and to take a moment to read the FAQs and summary. This agreement provides protections that weren’t previously afforded to members. In fact, the protections in the Replica Studios agreement are the same ones we have been negotiating for in our ongoing Interactive Media Agreement and equal or exceed the recently ratified A.I. terms of the TV/Theatrical agreement in every respect.

The industry will continue to evolve and implement transformative tools that enhance our creativity. Agreements like these help hold the tech companies and employers to account and ensure members have control over their voices and images, and provide a roadmap for the achievement of these gold-standard protections with other employers.

Sincerely,
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator

Sarah Elmaleh, Chair, SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee