The media artists union SAG-AFTRA, which is already on strike with multiple TV show producers like Amazon, Apple, Disney and Netflix from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), have expanded their strike to include video game companies as their bargaining with them continues on the 26th of September.
The companies involved in the negotiations include Activision, Disney, EA, Epic Games, Insomniac, Take 2, and Warner Bros.
SAG-AFTRA has decided to expand the strike because their contract, the Interactive Media Agreement, which was due to expire over a year ago, needs to be looked over to include a more modern contract that includes all the latest technology in the market, such as AI.
Demands include a fairer wage to help combat year-on-year inflation as well as regulated use of AI in games to ensure that no one is losing their jobs over someone or something that doesn’t require pay at all in order to feed the greed of the industry.
This strike could send massive delays through multiple games that were set to launch if the companies involved and SAG-AFTRA don’t come to a quick agreement.
The gaming companies involved are in charge of quite a few popular franchises, with a few planning new, upcoming games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Mortal Kombat 1 and Alan Wake 2. While these are planned for a release date around the corner, other games that are still in the middle of their development will be feeling the pinch.
What do you think about the strike moving into the games industry? Let us know in the comments below.
