SAG-AFTRA members have voted in favor of a strike authorization on the Interactive Media agreement that covers the video game works of the member with overwhelming approval.
With 98.32% of voters in favor, a strike will be called in the event that current ongoing negotiations with the Interactive Media Agreement negotiations do not lead to a satisfactory conclusion. This doesn't mean that the union is calling a strike, but if it does, it is sure to have an impact on the video game industry, considering the union is negotiating with companies such as Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games, Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc. and W.B. Games Inc. Still, unlike the strike that impacted movie and TV Shows productions in the past months, non-union work in the video games industry is prevalent, so this eventual strike wouldn't have the same impact on video games production.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher provided a comment on the situation, saying, “It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract. The result of this vote shows our membership understands the existential nature of these negotiations and that the time is now for these companies — which are making billions of dollars and paying their CEOs lavishly — to give our performers an agreement that keeps performing in video games as a viable career.”
More information on the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization can be found here.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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