Dear Member,
As our video game strike on the Interactive Media Agreement continues, we want to take a moment to celebrate your continued solidarity and update you on the latest — and we have an ask of performers who don’t currently work the contract.
Though progress has been made and agreements have been reached on certain provisions since we launched our strike last year, the last proposal the bargaining group made is still filled with alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to A.I. abuse.
The union recently submitted a counter to this proposal that diligently addresses all of the loopholes and would result in a contract that offers the minimum protections our members need in order to maintain sustainable careers as video game performers.
The bargaining group would have you believe that we are close to reaching a deal. This is not the case. They also are hoping our members will turn on each other. We encourage you to read this extensive updated comparison chart of A.I. proposals to see for yourself how far apart we remain on fundamental A.I. protections for all performers.
They want to use all past performances and any performance they can source from outside the contract without any of the protections being bargained at all. You could be told nothing about your replica being used, offered nothing in the way of payment, and you could do nothing about it. 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.
Even as we remain frustratingly far apart with the bargaining group, we have been having great success with other employers. More than 160 games have now signed on to our interim and independent agreements — and the total earnings of these projects have exceeded that of non-struck games. Those agreements contain the protections we have been asking the bargaining group for — terms that are clearly feasible and acceptable to a great number of game companies of all sizes, even as the bargaining companies resist.
And, in the coming weeks we will be releasing the Student Interactive Waiver Agreement and our Game Jam Waiver Agreement, both of which will allow developers at every stage of their career to work with SAG-AFTRA members. More information will be available soon.
With their previously signed projects dragging their way through the production pipeline, employers are feeling the squeeze from the strike, as SAG-AFTRA members who work in video games continue to stand together and refuse to work without adequate protections. This is causing employers to seek other performers they can exploit to fill those roles, including those who don’t typically perform in games. If you’re approached for such a role, we urge you to seriously consider the consequences. Not only would you be undermining the efforts of your fellow members, but you would be putting yourself at risk by working without protections against A.I. misuse. And “A.I. misuse” is just a nice way of saying that these companies want to use your performance to replace you — without consent or compensation.
That’s why it’s important to check the status of any role you’re considering. If you get an audition, check the status of the game at sagaftra.org/videogamestrike. Know that the only games that are safe to work — those with A.I. protections — are those that show up as “Let’s Play.”
In unity,
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator
Sarah Elmaleh
Chair, Interactive Media Negotiating Committee
About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.