SAG-AFTRA Members Vote In Favor Of Deal, Video Game Voice Actor Strike Ends

By Elijah Gonzalez  |  July 10, 2025 | 10:45am
Video Games News SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA Members Vote In Favor Of Deal, Video Game Voice Actor Strike Ends

In a vote last night, 95.04% of SAG-AFTRA members approved the 2025 SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement, which included protections against generative AI and pay increases. The passage of the deal puts an official end to a nearly year-long strike, which had been temporarily suspended on June 11 following a tentative agreement.

The benefits for voice actors include compounded increases in pay at a rate of 15.17% upfront, with additional 3% increases in November 2025, 2026, and 2027. The overtime rate maximum for overscale performers will now be based on double scale (if workers exceed a certain number of hours in a week, they’re paid double). Additionally, health and retirement contribution rates to the AFTRA Retirement Fund will be raised from 16.5% to 17% and then to 17.5% in October 2026.

As for protections against AI, the SAG-AFTRA’s joint release statement states: “The new contract also accomplishes performer safety guardrails and gains around A.I., including consent and disclosure requirements for A.I. digital replica use and the ability for performers to suspend consent for the generation of new material during a strike.”

“I commend the strong leadership of Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh, who remained steadfast through three years of hard bargaining while facing many challenging headwinds during a challenging negotiation cycle,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “This deal achieves important progress around A.I. protections, and progress is the name of the game! My sincere respect goes out to the entire video game performer community and their allies for their solidarity during the strike which provided the necessary leverage to secure this deal’s many essential gains.”

“All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice throughout the 11-month strike.” SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland added. “Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.”

The strike involved over 2,500 actors represented by SAG-AFTRA and was against a group of major American video game publishers and studios, including Activision, EA, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Take-Two Interactive, and more. The last major video game voice actor strike went from 2016 to 2017 and targeted many of the same companies.

 
Join the discussion...