The Voice Actors Union commenced its strike on October 21 and is still going strong. In the latest development, the union has now asked its members to picket Insomniac Games, the developer behind Ratchet & Clank, which is to start at 11:30 a.m. PST today.
Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. have already had their doorsteps picketed and in the case of EA, over 300 union members attended.
This all comes after nearly two years of unsuccessful negotiations between the union and the video game industry and doesn’t just apply to Insomniac Games, EA, and Warner Bros. The likes of Activision, Take-Two, and Disney Character Voices are examples of just some of the other firms on the docket.
SAG-AFTRA has published a complete list on their website of the companies they are requesting their members to picket. One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the names on the list are just code names so it’s possible that some of the games have already been released.
As for the negotiations themselves, it’s pretty clear what SAG-AFTRA is trying to achieve. They have stated that their proposals are “not loaded with any crazy demands” and several big name actors have spoken up about the strike on social media. Those of which include Wil Wheaton, Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect), and Roger Craig Smith (Assassin’s Creed).
According to the union, the gaming industry simply refuses to offer residual payment bonuses and other profit sharing opportunities. SAG-AFTRA specifically asked that a “full-scale payment” be made for every 500,000 units sold up to a maximum of four payments, or two million copies.
Deadline also reported that the games industry has also denied a proposal that would reduce the recording time for “vocally stressful” situations. This is mostly in part to keep the voice actors from stressing and damaging their voice.
The union has also asked that the games industry let up on some of the secrecy that most gave developers and publishers have. As of right now, sometimes the actor has no clue what game or character that they are auditioning for which can hinder the process.
In a counter-proposal, the game industry offered a 9 percent increase in pay and it also offered an addition $950 per game based on the number of sessions the voice actor did. As it stands right now, voice actors who are represented by SAG-AFTRA are paid at least $100 per hour of work, plus benefits. However, as anyone who has worked in the games industry will know, working hours aren’t your everyday 9-5.
Crispin Freeman, who voices Winston in Overwatch, stated that “we [the union] have negotiated with them [the gaming industry] for 19 months.” He added that “it’s the longest negotiation SAG-AFTRA has ever done. It was the last thing we wanted to do, but they left us no choice.”