Video game company Lightspeed LA has signed a temporary interactive media agreement with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), allowing it to continue production with union artists even as a strike against other major video game publishers enters its sixth week.
The deal will apply to Lightspeed LA’s current and future games. The company is home to “Last Sentinel,” the studio’s first game under the new agreement. The Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA is on strike against Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games and other major publishers. The union is demanding stricter limits on the use of artificial intelligence to create digital versions of performers, their voices or likenesses, as well as a higher minimum wage to address the impact of inflation in recent years.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Lightspeed LA. Their next game may be in a world of wild technology, but by agreeing to fair terms, they are working to ensure that the real future is not a dystopian one for artists,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “I want to express my gratitude to Steve, the entire Lightspeed LA crew, and the SAG-AFTRA members working on this project, who made this collaboration possible.”
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) has called a video game strike on July 26. The union went on a four-month strike in film and television last year over similar issues of AI protections and increased compensation. In 2016 and 2017, SAG-AFTRA struck 11 video game publishers for 13 months over voice-over work.
“Lightspeed LA has always recognized the indispensable role of talent, which brings creativity, innovation and a human touch to video games. Supporting our cast is the right thing to do and we have never hesitated to honor the performance protections that are the foundation of this agreement,” said Steve Martin, General Manager of Lightspeed LA. “We would like to thank Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and everyone at SAG-AFTRA for their openness and collaboration in helping to implement this agreement.”
Sarah Maleh, chair of the union's Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, said the Lightspeed LA deal indicates that some publishers are willing to work with the union's terms on the table.
“This strike has always been a stepping stone to working with proper AI protections, and a stepping stone to working without them. Lightspeed LA understands how important these protections are to the cast, and has followed through with an incredible commitment not only to this crew, but to their future crew,” said Maleh. “They have made their true appreciation for the cast as contributors tangible and impactful. I’m thrilled about this partnership and can’t wait to see what this talented team of developers and artists will do together.”
