On June 11, 2025, the American union SAG-AFTRA announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with video game producers, suspending a highly anticipated strike. The contract, the result of several months of negotiations, aims to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the sector, while guaranteeing new wage and health protections for the artists concerned. It will now have to be submitted to a vote by its members by July 9.
As a reminder, SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) represents some 160,000 professionals in the entertainment world, including many voice actors and performers for video games, as well as actors hired for motion capture. For several years, this union has been fighting for better recognition of its members' work in a rapidly changing industry. After leading an iconic strike in Hollywood in 2023 to raise awareness of the threats posed by generative AI in film, SAG-AFTRA is now tackling video games.
Because in this sector too, artificial intelligence is making great strides. Studios and publishers are already experimenting with the creation of digital replicas of actors, capable of performing lines of dialogue or in-game reactions without requiring a new recording session, and therefore without paying the actor who initially lent their image. While this technology can streamline certain productions, it raises deep concerns for artists: loss of control over their voice or image, exploitation without compensation, and the gradual disappearance of their role in creation.
Guarantees for actors
The new agreement sets unprecedented limits. For example, it requires informed consent from artists for any use of their digital double, and allows them to suspend this consent during a strike. Collectively negotiated minimum wages were also established for the use of these replicas, and voices used to generate chatbots in games will be paid 7.5 times the base rate. If the visual performance is reused in another game, additional compensation is provided. In addition to the AI issue, the agreement provides for an immediate 15.17% increase in performers' compensation, followed by annual increases. It also improves health and safety conditions, with the mandatory presence of medical professionals during dangerous scenes, and now prohibits the use of stunts during virtual auditions. Finally, contributions to artists' health and retirement plans will be increased. This is a guarantee that is more relevant in the United States but affects all players in the sector.
Still provisional
If the agreement is ratified, it will come into effect for a period of three years, until 2028. According to Audrey Cooling, spokesperson for the producers, this text reflects a long-standing collaboration date with SAG-AFTRA and marks “historic advances in transparency, consent and compensation.”
At a time when artificial intelligence is disrupting all creative sectors, this contract could well become a model for other industries facing the same challenges.
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