Video game voice and motion capture actors have ratified a new contract with major video game studios, concluding a nearly year-long labor dispute focused heavily on protections against artificial intelligence. The agreement, known as the Interactive Media Agreement, was overwhelmingly approved by members of the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

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Key Provisions of the New Contract

1. AI Protections as a Centerpiece The central element of the deal involves establishing rigorous standards for the use of performers’ voices and likenesses by AI. The new rules require explicit consent and disclosure from actors before their performance can be used to create a digital replica via AI. Critically, performers are also granted the right to suspend their consent for the creation of new AI material during a strike.

2. Compensation Increases The contract provides for substantial pay raises for performers. Upon ratification, actors will receive a compounded increase of 15.17%, with further 3% increases scheduled for November 2025, November 2026, and November 2027.

3. Enhanced Safety Measures Addressing specific concerns from the motion capture community, the agreement includes improved performer health and safety measures. This specifically mandates the availability of medics for motion capture actors during high-risk physical work.

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Industry and Context

The new agreement applies to a range of major video game producers, including Activision Productions, Electronic Arts (EA) Productions, WB Games, Insomniac Games, and others.

This successful negotiation brings to a close a work stoppage that was part of a broader push across the entertainment industry—including the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes—for legal and contractual safeguards against unchecked advancements in generative AI technology. SAG-AFTRA has also advocated for the NO FAKES Act, a bipartisan bill in Congress designed to make it illegal to create a digital replica of a person’s voice or likeness without their explicit permission.