SAG-AFTRA Expands Tiered-Budget Agreement For Indie Video Game Developers

SAG-AFTRA, the largest union in the world representing performers, announced today that it is rolling out a fourth tier of its new video game contract, the Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement. The agreement was initially unveiled with three tiers in February, allowing independent video game developers and projects with smaller budgets to access union talent for projects in the $250,000 to $15 million range. The new tier provides coverage for projects in the $15 million to $30 million budget range. The agreement further demonstrates SAG-AFTRA’s goal of expanding coverage for video games while incorporating many of the sought-after provisions essential for the safety and sustainability of performers’ careers and includes robust A.I. protections that cover voice and movement performance for all four tiers.

“With this expanded scope of the Tiered-Budget Agreement, even more projects will benefit from the skills and experience of union performers, and performers will have more opportunities to work with the benefits and protections of a union contract, including important A.I. guardrails,” said SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. “As a union, we are committed to creating contracts and waivers that foster actor-developer collaboration across every budget and scope. Thousands of video games are released every year and each one deserves to benefit from union talent.”

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “All levels of the tiered-budget agreement include crucial A.I. provisions and other protections our members need. It is critical that protections apply to ALL of our members who perform in video games, including movement performers. It’s also worth noting that in the event of a strike of the Interactive Media Agreement, members would be able to continue working on video games being produced under a tiered-budget agreement.”

Key features of the contract:

• Now offers customized session rates for four production budget tiers:
  •  $250,000 to $1 million.
  •  $1 million to $5 million.
  •  $5 million to $15 million.
  •  $15 million to $30 million.
• Simplifies and streamlines the base language of the full Interactive Media Agreement.
• Captures project success with secondary payments, which can be prepaid at a reduced rate.
• Requires informed consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas of a performer.

The full text of the agreement, FAQs, and a Producers Guide are available for review in our digital Production Center.

Developers interested in finding out more about the new agreement should contact interactive@sagaftra.org or call (323) 549-6815.

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.