SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland on How Consumers Can Support Video Game Actors Strike as It Nears 250-Day Mark

[Omaha Steve]

Michael Buckner for Variety

By Jennifer Maas Mar 31, 2025 9:30am PT

The SAG-AFTRA strike against major video game companies has nearly reached the 250-day mark and there’s no deal yet. And while nothing seems to have changed from the outside, real progress is being made behind the scenes.

The video game companies’ bargaining committee (which represents Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions and WB Games) presented an updated counter proposal of the Interactive Media Agreement to the actors union on March 26, which “directly addresses several issues the union has identified as important components of a deal,” a source close to negotiations told Variety.

The SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, which has consistently expressed that protections against generative AI for performers is their top priority, is currently reviewing the new proposal.

“We have proposed a deal that includes wage increases of over 15% for SAG-AFTRA represented performers in video games, as well as enhanced health and safety protections, industry-leading terms of use for AI digital replicas in-game and additional compensation for the use of an actor’s performance in other games,” a spokesperson for the major gaming companies involved in the negotiations said in a statement Monday. “We have made meaningful progress and are eager to return to the bargaining table to reach a deal.”

FULL story: https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/video-game-actors-strike-update-sag-aftra-1236352655/