More than a year ago, members of SAG-AFTRA in the voice acting community went on strike. The strike followed a couple years of unsuccessful negotiations. SAG-AFTRA is a union that represents actors and voice actors on both the big and small screen. Among the demands that they required were better working conditions and more compensation proportional to game sales.
Around a month ago, the actors and game development companies supposedly agreed on terms to end the strike. The strike was focused on companies sich as Activision, EA, and Square-Enix. This agreement includes new bonuses for each session of acting recorded. Additionally, the agreement outlines health provisions to combat destruction of vocal cords.
Likely the most important piece of this agreement is the transparency clause. This requires game developers to be clear on exactly what sort of things the actors will have to say. In addition, developers must disclose any bad language or possibly controversial remarks that actors may have to record.
The agreement also prohibits developers from fining actors for being late or for not being mentally present.
The strike saw the replacement of Ashly Burch, the voice actor for Chloe Price in the original Life is Strange title. Due to her participation in the strike, she had to turn down the role for the prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Over the past year, union members have been increasingly replaced by non-unionized actors.
On Tuesday, the voice acting members of the guild voted on the agreed upon terms. With a 90 percent vote of approval, the strike is now officially over. This strike was the longest of its kind in SAG-AFTRA history.
Luckily for us, we will be getting some of our favorite voices back.
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Strike Among Voice Actors Supposedly Resolved
