(Los Angeles) Striking actors have voted to extend their walkout to the lucrative video game market, a move that could put new pressure on Hollywood studios to strike a deal with artists who provide voices and stunts for games.
The Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced the decision Monday evening, saying 98 percent of its members had voted in favor of a strike against video game companies if negotiations in progress were not successful. Discussions to try to reach an agreement were to resume on Tuesday.
Acting in video games can include a variety of roles, from voice performances to motion capture work to stunt work. Video game players had already gone on strike in 2016, a work stoppage that lasted almost a year.
Some issues are common in video game negotiations as well as the broader actors’ strike that has slowed Hollywood for months, including salaries, safety measures and protections related to the use of artificial intelligence . Companies involved include gaming giants Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Take 2 Productions as well as the video game divisions of Disney and Warner Bros.
“It’s time for video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this labor contract,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.
The threat of a video game strike emerged as Hollywood screenwriters were set to return to work after months on the picket line.
A new spirit of optimism animated the actors who were on picket Tuesday, for the first time since the writers reached their tentative agreement Sunday evening.
“For a second, I really thought this was going to last until next year,” said Marissa Cuevas, an actress who appeared in the television series Kung Fu And The Big Bang Theory.
“Knowing that at least one of us got a good deal gives a lot of hope that we will get a good deal as well,” she added.
Even though they made their own deal, the writers were encouraged to march in solidarity with the actors. Many were on the picket lines Tuesday.
Decisive vote for screenwriters
Crucial steps remain to be taken for the writers, who remain technically on strike, and for other workers who are awaiting the return to production of new shows.
The next phase was scheduled for Tuesday, when the boards of directors of both branches of the Writers Guild of America were scheduled to vote on the tentative agreement union negotiators reached with Hollywood studios.
After possible approval from the union boards will come a vote from the writers themselves.
“I really feel like we’ll vote for it,” said Writers Guild member Kyra Jones. I hope the negotiating committee didn’t settle for a bad deal. It wouldn’t make sense to go that far. »
The guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represent studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations, were still finalizing contract language Monday.
That could delay the vote and has prevented union leaders from sharing with the writers the details of what nearly five months of strike and hardship have cost them. Executives promised to hold a series of meetings later this week to share terms of the deal regarding salaries, show staffing and artificial intelligence.
The guild leaders simply told them that the agreement was “exceptional”, with gains for each member. A positive vote from members will finally officially end the strike.
Among the unions on strike, the studio alliance has so far chosen to negotiate only with the screenwriters and has not yet made any move in favor of resuming negotiations with SAG-AFTRA.
Company executives said they would carefully review the writers’ agreement, which includes many of the same issues, but that it would not affect their demands.