The SAG-AFTRA voice actor strike is finally, officially over
The SAG-AFTRA strike, which has had some wide-reaching implications for various games and performers, has come to an end.
Members of the union have today voted to approve the Interactive Media Video Game Agreement, with 90 percent of the members approving of it.
This new agreement includes a reworked bonus structure for voice actors, and "transparency provisions" that will make it necessary for developers to disclose the code name for the game, the genre, whether the game is part of a series, and whether the actor is taking a role previously occupied by someone else. Actors will also be told whether they will have to make use of "unusual technology", or use swear words or racial slurs, before they agree to a job.
The deal also "includes an employer commitment to continue working with SAG-AFTRA on the issue of vocal stress during the term of the agreement."
While the members had reached a tentative agreement to end the strike back in September, the strike is now officially, properly over. This strike affected the development of several games, but perhaps the most high-profile case was Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Because of the strike, Ashley Burch was not able to reprise the role of Chloe Price, which upset many fans.
The upcoming Resident Evil 2 remake (which we have not seen anything from yet) was also affected, with the lead voice actors from the original game unable to return.
This is an important win for SAG-AFTRA, though, and will ensure better conditions for voice actors going forward.