SAG-AFTRA Members Authorize Strike Against Video Game Developers

Just a day after the Writers Guild of America announced they’d reached a tentative deal with movie and TV publishers, the Screen Actors Guild has revealed that the membership has voted 98.32% in favor of striking against video game companies regarding the Interactive Media Agreement that is currently in negotiations.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean a strike is being called, yet. The organization has been in negotiation with various video game companies – including Activision Productions, Electronic Arts Productions, Insomniac Games, Epic Games, Take 2, and more – over the last month. They’ve been through five rounds of bargaining, with many of the areas of contention being the same as those that have been fueling SAG and the WGA’s strikes against film companies. That includes “exploitative uses of AI and lagging wages”.

The current hope is that as SAG and game companies return to the table starting today, the strike authorization will add weight to their cause. Perhaps the fact that SAG has been on strike against film companies since July will make video game companies take it more seriously as well. We’ll see over the coming days.