It’s official — the long-standing video game voice actor and performer strike has come to a close. The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced this week that a tentative agreement has been reached on the interactive media contract, potentially ending nearly a year of labor disruption across the gaming industry. As of yesterday at noon PT (June 11), SAG-AFTRA has formally paused all strike activity.
The SAG-AFTRA video game strike, which began in July 2023, was triggered after negotiations between the union and major studios—including Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, and others—failed to produce an agreement on AI-related provisions. Following that breakdown, over 98% of union members voted in favor of industrial action.
Although final approval is still pending—a special meeting is scheduled for today, June 12, to review the tentative deal—if ratified, the agreement will then go to the union’s membership for formal approval.
This resolution means voice actors can return to work, and players should expect fewer interruptions in their favorite titles. During the strike, games like Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft reportedly featured partially unvoiced scenes, likely due to the lack of available performers. Additionally, SAG-AFTRA took action against Riot Games’ League of Legends after the developer allegedly attempted to circumvent the strike by canceling a scheduled event. At Activision, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 saw characters recast amid player concerns about new voices. Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA also filed an unfair labor practice charge against Epic Games with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the company introduced an AI-voiced Darth Vader NPC in Fortnite.
For those questioning the necessity of the strike, a recent incident involving Ashly Burch, the voice and likeness of Aloy from the *Horizon* series, offers some insight. In a now-deleted video, Sharwin Raghoebardajal, a director at Sony Interactive Entertainment, demonstrated a prototype where an AI-generated version of Aloy responded using synthesized speech and animations. The voice and facial expressions were clearly not Burch’s, instead mimicking basic text-to-speech engines with unnatural eye movement and stiffness.
“You have to get our consent before you make an AI version of us in any form, you must compensate us fairly, and you must be transparent about how you’re using this AI double,” Burch stated at the time. “I love this industry and this art form so much, and I want there to be a new generation of actors. I want to see more incredible performances in games. If we don’t win this fight, that future is seriously at risk.”
