SAG-AFTRA, the screen actors union that counts many video game voice actors among its members, has extended the 2017 Interactive Media Agreement to cover voiceover and performance capture work until November 7, 2022.
The 2017 Interactive Media Agreement that has now been extended to cover the next two years is notably the document that ended a major voice actors strike back in 2017.
With this latest extension, the union and a number of major game studios have laid the groundwork for SAG-AFTRA members to see wage and benefit increases under the extended agreement.
In a statement, SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris notes that those involved opted to extend the 2017 agreement rather than tackle full-scale negotiations as an extension would still allow it to “sustain the growth in earnings for members.”
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with the employers,” says Carteris. “The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the entertainment industry, but work on video games, much of which can be done remotely, has continued. This extension allows members to keep working and have some certainty during an uncertain time.