Latest news with #DuncanCrabtree-Ireland
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
Video game performers vote on contract that could end nearly 3-year battle over AI
LOS ANGELES -- Results from a union member vote on a tentative contract between video game performers and their employers are expected Wednesday evening. If ratified, the contract would formally end a nearly three-year effort from Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists negotiators to obtain a new contract for video game performers. The process, which included an 11-month strike against several major game makers, hinged on how artificial intelligence would affect performers in the industry. If approved, the agreement will deliver pay raises, control over performers' likenesses and artificial intelligence protections. The contract was first reached in early June between the union and an industry bargaining group consisting of several major video game companies, including divisions of Activision and Electronic Arts. The nearly year-long strike was suspended on June 11 and about 3,000 SAG-AFTRA members covered by the interactive media agreement have had since June 18 to vote. Results will be announced soon after the vote ends at 5 p.m. Pacific. The 11-month strike 'was a grueling and excruciating process, ' Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator said before the voting period closed. 'I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business,' Crabtree-Ireland said. The new contract secures 'industry-leading' AI protections, said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal. The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor. Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer's lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as work time, according to the agreement. The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation. The contract also secured an increase in performer compensation of just over 15% upon ratification and an additional 3% increase each year of the three-year contract. Increasing awareness and knowledge about the new AI provisions among union membership is crucial moving forward if the contract is ratified, Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of the union's interactive branch negotiating committee, told The Associated Press before the voting period closed. 'Actually applying these guardrails in our work is going to take members paying attention, understanding what they should look out for, being engaged with their union and reporting things that look fishy or that are actually violations,' she said.
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Video game performers vote on contract that could end nearly three-year battle over AI
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Results will be announced soon after the vote ends at 5 p.m. Pacific. Advertisement The 11-month strike 'was a grueling and excruciating process, ' Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator said before the voting period closed. 'I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business,' Crabtree-Ireland said. The new contract secures 'industry-leading' AI protections, said Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal. The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor. Advertisement What's part of the tentative video game performers contract Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer's lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as work time, according to the agreement. The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation. The contract also secured an increase in performer compensation of just over 15% upon ratification and an additional 3% increase each year of the three-year contract. Increasing awareness and knowledge about the new AI provisions among union membership is crucial moving forward if the contract is ratified, Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of the union's interactive branch negotiating committee, told The Associated Press before the voting period closed. 'Actually applying these guardrails in our work is going to take members paying attention, understanding what they should look out for, being engaged with their union and reporting things that look fishy or that are actually violations,' she said.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SAG-AFTRA Suspends Video Game Strike After Securing Tentative Deal With Major Developers
SAG-AFTRA has officially suspended its strike against some of the major video game developers, nearly two days after securing a tentative new contract. The union announced Wednesday that the work stoppage will end at 12 p.m. PT. The strike suspension has received the consent of both the Interactive Media Agreement negotiating committee as well as National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. More from Deadline WGA East & FilmNation Reveal 2025 New York Screenwriting Fellowship Participants Free Streaming Service Zone-ify Offers Video Games Via TV Remote In An AVOD First SAG-AFTRA Inks Tentative New Deal With Major Video Game Developers That Includes "Necessary A.I. Guardrails" While the deal reached earlier this week still needs the approval of the National Board and the membership at large, SAG-AFTRA members will now be able to return to work on productions under the Interactive Media Agreement, including publicity and promotion. The union says its National Board is set to meet Thursday to consider the agreement. If approved, it will be sent to membership for ratification. This is also when SAG-AFTRA is expected to release details regarding the contract. SAG-AFTRA went on strike against the signatories of the Interactive Media Agreement in July 2024. The sides had bargained on and off for more than a year by then, operating without a contract since November 2022. Artificial intelligence was the big sticking point in these negotiations. The contract covers voice and performance-capture talent on video games, and the union has repeatedly sounded the alarm on how AI could negatively impact these professions. The gamer companies involved in this contract are Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions and WB Games. 'We are pleased to have reached a tentative contract agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in video games,' a spokesperson for the companies said Wednesday. 'This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union. It delivers historic wage increases of over 24% for performers, enhanced health and safety protections, and industry-leading AI provisions requiring transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games. We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world.' Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
NBC News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Video game actors' strike ends after tentative deal is reached
The video game actors' strike was suspended on Wednesday after a tentative deal with game publishers was announced, bringing an end to the union's nearly year-long strike. The previous Interactive Media Agreement between the actors and video game companies expired in July 2022, and did not have any protections for artificial intelligence, according to the SAG-AFTRA, which counts 2,600 voice actors, stunt performers, motion capture and performance capture actors among its union members. The actors began striking in July. Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 Productions and WB Games were among the struck video game companies. The strike also applied to specific games on a case-by-case basis. The future of generative AI — and how it can be used to replace labor — was a crucial sticking point for actors and writers during last year's Hollywood strikes. While the actors and writers unions came to deals with studios in 2023, negotiations between video game actors and major game developers continued. Terms of the new contract have not yet been announced. But in a news release about the tentative deal, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland mentioned progress had been made regarding AI provisions. "Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers' livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains," he stated. Crabtree-Ireland, who also served as the chief negotiator, acknowledged "the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike." SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher also commended the "incredible courage and persistence" of the video game performers, as well as 'the tireless work of our negotiating committee" in helping secure a deal. A spokesperson for the union did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on Wednesday. Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers party to the Interactive Media Agreement, also commended the deal. 'This agreement builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union," she sand in an email statement. "It delivers historic wage increases of over 24% for performers, enhanced health and safety protections, and industry-leading AI provisions requiring transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games. We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world.'
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
11-Month Battle Over AI Finally Ending As Striking Game Actors Reach Tentative Deal
A nearly year-long battle between SAG-AFTRA game actors and the major publishers over AI protections for performances is set to end, after both sides reached a tentative agreement this week. Details of the deal haven't yet been released, but the union says it includes 'necessary AI guardrails' as companies adopt tools to copy, replicate, and alter the work of actors. The 10 companies involved in the agreement are Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. SAG-AFTRA says more about the deal will be shared after members vote to ratify it in the coming weeks. The two sides are still hashing out the terms of the strike suspension agreement, however, so actors will remain on strike for a little longer. 'Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike,' SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a press release. 'Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers' livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains.' The strike began last July, and while it involved demands for pay raises and better onsite working conditions, the biggest sticking point throughout negotiations was the role AI might play in voice recording and performance capture. While actors are currently paid on a session by session basis for specific performances, AI models would make it easy for companies to take that data and replicate an actor's voice or movements, either altering their creative output or replacing it altogether. Back in March, Ashly Burch who plays Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn shared her concerns about AI replacing actors after an internal tech demo at Sony showed an AI-controlled Aloy having a conversation with a player. SAG-AFTRA recently filed an unfair labor practice against Epic Games for using an AI-voiced Darth Vader in Fortnite while still in negotiations. Meanwhile, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has said he foresees a possible future in which all NPCs are AI-controlled. As the strike continued throughout last fall and into 2025, actors in some games saw themselves replaced by other artists in projects like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Zenless Zone Zero, as game companies sought to continue releasing updates. Games like Destiny 2, meanwhile, simply left some characters completely silent who would have otherwise voiced dialogue. Some SAG-AFTRA actors voiced their frustration with the duration of the strike in recent weeks. 'I hope SAG-AFTRA is aware that, either intentionally or through negligence, an environment has been created around IMA negotiations whereby it is impossible to express a good-faith disagreement without being dismissed as anti-union, a management shill, or both,' voice actor William Salyers, who voiced Otto Octavius in Spider-Man 2, wrote on Threads last week. 'The damage being done by this will persist long after the strike is settled.' Jennifer Hale, best known as Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, added, 'Vilifying those differences only divides the community.' . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
