The lawsuit, which included an 11-month strike against several major game manufacturers, was dragged due to the fear by the union, the impact of artificial intelligence on artists
Members of the Hollywood Sag-Aftra actors union voted 95% in favor of a new contract with video game companies, ending a strike that had lasted almost a year ago.
The vote, whose results were announced on Wednesday night, ends a process of almost three years of the union to obtain a new contract for artists.
The process, which included an 11-month strike against several major game manufacturers, was dragged due to the fear of the union the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on artists.
In addition to protections against AI, the new contract provides for salary increases and control over the image of the artists.
A provisional agreement had been signed in early June between the union and an industry negotiation group consisting of several major video game companies, including Activision, Disney Character Voices Inc. and Electronic Arts.
Among the companies affected by the strike are Epic Games, creator of the game Fortnite, Blindlight, responsible for the game Halo, and WB Games Inc, creator of the Mortal Kombat 11 game.
The artists “suffered a lot of sacrifices during the 11-month strike,” said Duncan Crabtree-Iireland, national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA in a press release.
“Now that the agreement has been ratified, video game artists can enjoy significant and important AI protections, which we will continue to develop as uses of this technology consolidate and evolve,” Centi-Ireland wrote.
The spokeswoman for video game producers involved in the agreement, Audrey Cooling, wrote that the agreement “provides historical wage increases, the best protections against the AI of the sector and improved health and safety measures for artists.”
“We look forward to consolidating the partnership of decades in our sector with the union and continuing to create innovative entertainment experiences for thousands of millions of players worldwide,” Cooling wrote.
Companies must obtain a written artist’s written authorization to create a digital replica – consent that must be granted during the artist’s life and valid after death, except limitation to the contrary, the contract states.
The time spent on creating a digital replica will be compensated as working time, according to the agreement.
The contract also requires that the employer provides the artist a report of use that details as the replica was used and calculate the expected compensation.
The agreement, valid for three years, also guaranteed an increase in the remuneration of artists of just over 15%, after ratification, and an additional annual increase of 3%.
