Last week, key game companies offered SAG-AFTRA a deal to alleviate the ongoing voice actors strike that was described as the last, best offer from the companies being targeted – and of course, since it didn’t adequately address AI concerns, it was summarily rejected. But now it appears that there was an even laster, bester offer on the table after all, as the companies have offered a new revision that directly addresses SAG-AFTRA’s concerns about using generative AI to replicate voice actors.
This newest offer removes the option for companies to buy out digital likenesses, eliminates repayment requirements for performers who choose to withhold their consent to use a digital replica during a strike, and lays out rules about using replicas for generating new content. Most significantly, the one-time digital replica payment being removed means that using a digital replica (that is, AI-generated voice) requires the companies to still pay actors as if they had come in to voice lines. Actors have met to discuss the latest offer, so it remains to be seen whether this is enough to end the nearly year-long strike or not. Given how many MMOs are affected, from Guild Wars 2 to SWTOR, we’re hoping they can solve it sooner rather than later.
