Just days after announcing a tentative agreement had been reached with key video game publishers, US actors union SAG-AFTRA has called off its nearly year-long strike action, instructing members to return work on productions that fall under the Interactive Media Agreement.
SAG-AFTRA (AKA the The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) represents around 160,000 members, and it announced a strike affecting all work under its Interactive Media Agreement – which covers a variety of roles within video games, including voice acting – last July. The move came after the union failed to reach an agreement with key video game publishers such as Activision, EA, and Take-Two Interactive, as it renegotiated the terms of its contract, despite more than 18 months of discussions.
While SAG-AFTRA successfully negotiated on a variety of critical issues, including wages in-line with inflation and job safety, sufficient protections against the exploitative use of AI remained a key sticking point. Back in March, eight months after the strike had begun, SAG-AFTRA said proposals from video game companies were still filled with “alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to AI abuse”.
Earlier this week, however, SAG-AFTRA announced it had finally reached a “tentative agreement” with companies including Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, and Warner Bros. that included the “necessary AI guardrails” it had been pushing for. And now, following that news, SAG-AFTRA national executive director & chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has officially suspended the strike against the companies signatory to the Interactive Media Agreement, as of noon PT today.
“All SAG-AFTRA members are instructed to return to work on productions under the IMA,” the union wrote in its announcement, “including work promoting or publicising projects produced under the IMA. The SAG-AFTRA National Board will meet in special session tomorrow, 12th June, 2025, to consider the tentative agreement. If approved, it will be sent out for ratification by the union’s membership in accordance with established policy. Details of the agreement will be released at that time.”
Yesterday, UK actors’ union Equity applauded the “tenacity and persistence” of SAG-AFTRA video game performers, after news of its tentative agreement broke. Equity members protested outside this year’s BAFTA Games Awards in April, calling on the games industry to improve conditions for performers, including better pay and terms and conditions for their work, as well as AI protections.