The strike that U.S. screen actors guild SAG-AFTRA was threatening against video game studios will be going forward as planned, with the strike starting just after midnight this morning following a round of failed negotiations.
This effort is being levied against 11 companies, including ones with MMORPG ties such as Electronic Arts, Activision, and WB Games. The strike is aimed at production of games that started on or after February 17th, 2015 and involves actors involved with voice work, stunts, or motion capture.
“The two issues of greatest contention are transparency and secondary compensation,” the union posted. “While the companies are willing to disclose potentially objectionable material that may be involved in the role, they refuse to tell the performer’s agent what game the actor will be working on. This keeps the performer from being able to make an educated decision about whether to take job. This is unheard of in any of our other contracts. Regarding secondary compensation, employers have offered to give actors an upfront bonus based on number of sessions worked, starting at the second session worked.”
Players can follow developments and discussion of the strike on Twitter by using the hashtag #performancematters.
