SAG Says No
Variety is reporting that the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has rejected a bid by publishers that would have brokered a new deal for actors lending their voices to video games.
The news came after a similar deal was approved by the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA) on Saturday. AFTRA currently handles a majority of the unionized voice work used in video games.
Initially Sag’s board was for the deal, but after review by its four member caucuses, the deal was denied.
Variety says Sag’s panels had issue with the amount of work being done by the actors, which is some cases can be as much as voices, with up to 300 words each per game.
While the two sides try to renegotiate the deal, you have to wonder what the effect of not having a new deal will really be. The industry seems to be working at the moment, and according to Variety over 75% of current voice work is non-union.
Currently there is no talk of an official strike by union members, but it’s hard to see some kind of deal not happening. With gaming continuing to gain credence in the mainstream as a legitimate media, some sort of deal is almost guaranteed.
Source: Variety via Game Politics
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