Video Game Actors Contract Ratified: SAG-AFTRA Leaders Talk Gaming Execs’ Reckoning With Hollywood’s AI Standards, 11-Month Strike’s Turning Point
VarietyThursday, July 10, 2025 at 2:42:40 AM
After nearly a year of tense negotiations—centered heavily on how AI should (or shouldn’t) be used in voice acting—video game performers finally have a ratified contract. Major studios like Activision and EA agreed to terms with SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors. The deal includes guardrails around AI, marking a hard-fought win for performers worried about being replaced by synthetic voices. Union leaders framed it as a turning point, forcing gaming execs to reckon with Hollywood’s stricter AI standards.
Editor’s Note: This isn’t just about fair pay—it’s about setting rules for an industry barreling toward AI-generated content. Video game voice actors, like their film/TV counterparts, don’t want their work scraped to train algorithms or their jobs outsourced to bots. The strike’s resolution hints at a broader shift: as AI creeps into creative fields, unions are drawing lines to protect human artists. Gamers might not notice the difference, but the voices behind their favorite characters just secured a little more future-proofing.
— Curated via WP Now’s
