Impact of Actor Strike on Fortnite and More

• Video game actors went on strike on July 26.
• Issues include AI protections and contract negotiations.
• Work on future projects like Call of Duty Black Ops 6 halted.
• Main concerns: safety guidelines, pay rates, and generative AI.
• Strike rules prevent promotion of games in negotiations.

Thousands of video game actors went on strike on July 26 for the first time since 2017.

The fight is over AI protections and other issues in contract negotiations with some of the biggest studios and publishers.

This will halt work from SAG-AFTRA members on future projects and possibly keep them from promoting upcoming games like Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Dragon Age The Veilguard until a deal is reached.

Why Are Game Actors on Strike?

SAG-AFTRA represents over 2,000 performers in gaming on both the voice acting and motion capture sides.

The last Interactive Media Agreement expired in November 2022, and the guild has been in negotiations with major gaming companies ever since.

The main issues include new safety guidelines, pay rate increases, and protections around generative AI.

As interest in companies like OpenAI has exploded, creatives have been calling for guardrails for how generative AI is used and monetized.

SAG-AFTRA members are demanding companies be transparent about how AI will be used in voice, face, and motion capture performances.

They also want companies to seek consent and sign additional agreements with actors before any of their work can be used in that regard.

The Main Concerns

The main fear is that a performer could record a single session and then have their entire likeness copied to effectively duplicate their work throughout the rest of the game without them ever knowing or being paid for it.

While game companies say they are agreeing to AI protections for performers, the union says those protections were only extended at the last minute before the strike.

These protections only apply to actors who are recognizable in the finished game or who play specific characters.

Motion artists whose work is changed using generic AI tools trained on random internet data are seemingly left out.

What Games Could Be Affected?

Strike rules require all SAG-AFTRA members not to work on or promote games at any studios or publishers that are part of the current deadlocked negotiations.

This includes everything from voicing grunts in something like Harry Potter Quidditch Champions to pivotal scenes in Insomniac Games' upcoming Wolverine game.

Promotion could include everything from tweeting about a game to appearing on podcasts.

Part of why it’s so hard to know exactly which games will be affected is because of the video game industry’s infamous penchant for secrecy.

About 30 or so existing studios and companies have signed onto recent tiered or interim agreements that allow striking members to continue working with them.

Exemptions and Ongoing Productions

There is also a long list of games that are exempted from the strike because they began production before September 2023.

For example, Grand Theft Auto VI won’t be impacted because it’s part of that exemption.

A second set of exemptions revolves around live-service games like Fortnite and Apex Legends.

SAG-AFTRA is seeking to change that, which could impact content updates and new characters introduced in later seasons.

What Happens Next?

Despite the strike, both sides will continue to negotiate behind closed doors.

Actors are expected to picket, but exact locations for that haven’t yet been announced.

SAG-AFTRA members have also started their first picket line outside Warner Bros Games on August 1.

It’s likely to be the first of many in-person protests where members and those supporting them gather outside the offices of the companies they’re negotiating with.

In the meantime, it’s possible some game companies could be moving ahead with using AI for performances with non-union actors anyway.

Earlier this week, Wired reported that Activision is already encouraging artists on Call of Duty to use generative AI for concept art and help with assets.