After an 11-month strike, voice actors and motion-capture performers for video games won new protections that restrict how the industry can use artificial intelligence to replicate their work.
Union approves deal covering major game publishers
SAG-AFTRA ratified a contract with large companies in the sector, including Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Take-Two and WB Games. The agreement was approved by 95.04% of voting members and specifically limits the use of an actor’s voice, appearance or performance being reproduced by AI without clear rules.
Consent and disclosure required for digital replicas
The new pact sets requirements for consent and disclosure when companies create digital replicas—AI-generated versions derived from a person’s image, voice or performance. Performers will be able to withdraw authorization for generating new material during a strike, a provision highlighted as crucial in negotiations.
The union had expressed concern that studios could deploy digital versions of actors to continue production during a labor stoppage, effectively replacing striking workers with virtual substitutes. According to Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the negotiating committee, resolving that issue was decisive to ending the strike.
Pay increases, benefits and safety measures
The agreement also includes financial gains: a cumulative pay increase of 15.17% upon ratification, plus additional raises of 3% scheduled for November 2025, November 2026 and November 2027. Contributions for retirement and health were expanded and new safety measures for performers were established.
Bringing game work closer to Hollywood standards
SAG-AFTRA says the deal aligns videogame work more closely with rules Hollywood has begun to adopt for AI use in film and television. The union emphasizes that informed consent and fair compensation must remain in place even as technology makes it possible to digitally reproduce an actor’s work.
Questions about future use of performances
With characters increasingly built from facial, body and voice capture, the agreement leaves open a wider industry question: how far can a studio use an actor’s recorded performance digitally after the actor has left the studio? The contract’s protections address that concern by requiring clear consent and limiting unauthorized AI replication.
