Voice actors that are members of the SAG-AFTRA union are now on strike. According to Deadline, this happened after the union wasn’t able to secure residual payment for its actors, that would see performers get an additional “full scale payment” every time a game sold 500,000 copies. This would go to a maximum of four payments, as it would max out at two million copies. They were also looking for “vocally stressful” recording sessions to be reduced to two hours in length, so the performer’s voices could be protected.
A statement from SAG-AFTRA outlined their goals:
“This group of video game employers knowingly feeds off other industries that pay these same performers fairly to make a living. This represents a ‘freeloader model of compensation’ that we believe cannot and should not continue. In this industry, which frequently uses performers and understands the intermittent and unpredictable nature of this type of work, fair compensation includes secondary payments when games hit a certain level of success with consumers, not simply higher upfront wages. Secondary compensation is what allows professional performers to feed their families in between jobs.
No matter what these companies are peddling in their press releases, this negotiation is not only about upfront compensation. It is about fairness and the ability of middle-class performers to survive in this industry. These companies are immensely profitable, and success...