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Video Game Voice Actor Strike Now Second-Longest In SAG History
The video game voice actor strike that began in October continues with no end in sight. As Deadline reports, it's now in its 96th day, making it the second-longest Screen Actors Guild strike ever. It passes the 95-day strike in 1980 that concerned the terms of pay TV and videocassette deals, the site said.
The longest SAG strike ever lasted 183 days in 2000 over commercials, so the video game voice actor strike from SAG-AFTRA (the video game voice actor union) would need to run for a further three months to reach that.
One of the key elements of the strike, which started on October 21, is around residual payments. The gaming industry refuses to offer residual payment bonuses and other profit-sharing opportunities, according to the union. Specifically, SAG-AFTRA asked that its performers receive an additional "full-scale payment" for every 500,000 units sold, for a maximum of four secondary payments if a game sells 2 million copies.
There are 11 video game companies that the union has asked its members to strike, including juggernauts like Activision and Electronic Arts, as well as Insomniac. Check out GameSpot's previous coverage of the voice actor strike to learn more about what's going on and what each side wants.
Overwatch voice actor Crispin Freeman, who voices Winston, spoke to GameSpot recently about the strike and why voice actors matter. "We negotiated with them for 19 months in good faith," Freeman said. "It's the longest negotiation SAG-AFTRA has ever done. It was the last thing we wanted to do, but they left us with no choice."
Pickets have been held at Electronic Arts, Insomniac, and Warner Bros., while SAG-AFTRA has also organized virtual pickets.
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The longest SAG strike ever lasted 183 days in 2000 over commercials, so the video game voice actor strike from SAG-AFTRA (the video game voice actor union) would need to run for a further three months to reach that.
One of the key elements of the strike, which started on October 21, is around residual payments. The gaming industry refuses to offer residual payment bonuses and other profit-sharing opportunities, according to the union. Specifically, SAG-AFTRA asked that its performers receive an additional "full-scale payment" for every 500,000 units sold, for a maximum of four secondary payments if a game sells 2 million copies.There are 11 video game companies that the union has asked its members to strike, including juggernauts like Activision and Electronic Arts, as well as Insomniac. Check out GameSpot's previous coverage of the voice actor strike to learn more about what's going on and what each side wants.
Overwatch voice actor Crispin Freeman, who voices Winston, spoke to GameSpot recently about the strike and why voice actors matter. "We negotiated with them for 19 months in good faith," Freeman said. "It's the longest negotiation SAG-AFTRA has ever done. It was the last thing we wanted to do, but they left us with no choice."
Pickets have been held at Electronic Arts, Insomniac, and Warner Bros., while SAG-AFTRA has also organized virtual pickets.
More...