Yes. SAG-AFTRA members ratified a new Interactive Media Agreement on July 9, 2025, by 95.04% to 4.96%, formally ending the video game performers’ strike. The strike had been suspended on June 11, allowing covered work to resume while the agreement awaited a vote. The deal includes wage increases, digital-replica protections, and safety provisions.
When did the SAG-AFTRA video game strike end?
The strike began on July 26, 2024. Its end came through several distinct steps: a tentative agreement, a suspension that allowed covered performers to return to work, and then member ratification.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 9, 2025 | SAG-AFTRA announced a tentative agreement, subject to approval by its National Board and a member vote. The announcement named nine prospective employers, including Epic Games. SAG-AFTRA’s tentative agreement announcement |
| June 11, 2025, noon Pacific | The union suspended the strike against Interactive Media Agreement signatories and told covered members to resume agreement work, including promotion and publicity. SAG-AFTRA’s suspension notice |
| June 12, 2025 | The National Board approved the tentative agreement and recommended members vote yes. SAG-AFTRA’s Board announcement |
| July 9, 2025 | Members ratified the agreement by 95.04% to 4.96%. SAG-AFTRA said ratification concluded the strike and the contract took effect immediately. SAG-AFTRA’s ratification announcement |
The suspension and the end of the strike were not the same milestone: covered work could resume on June 11, but the strike was formally concluded after the July 9 vote.
Which game companies are covered?
SAG-AFTRA’s July 9 ratification announcement names nine employers: Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Llama Productions LLC, Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. The union’s Interactive Media Agreement information page also lists these nine.
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Epic Games appeared in the June 9 tentative-agreement announcement but not in the final list in the July 9 ratification notice. The tentative announcement alone does not establish Epic as a party to the ratified agreement. The deal concerns performers covered by this agreement and its signatories; it should not be read as applying to every actor or every game company.
What did SAG-AFTRA and the game companies agree to?
Wages and contributions
- Compensation increased 15.17% upon ratification. The agreement also provides compounded 3% increases in November 2025, November 2026, and November 2027.
- For overscale performers, the maximum overtime rate is based on double scale.
- The union announced employer contribution rates increasing from 16.5% to 17% upon ratification, then to 17.5% in October 2026. Its June Board summary identifies the destination as the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, while its July ratification notice names the AFTRA Retirement Fund. Because the public summaries differ, the full agreement is needed to identify the recipient precisely.
These terms are from SAG-AFTRA’s ratification announcement and National Board summary.
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AI and digital replicas
The union’s summaries describe consent and disclosure requirements for use of digital replicas, as well as a performer’s ability to suspend consent for generating new material during a strike. The agreement also establishes collectively bargained minimums for digital replicas created using performances covered by the Interactive Media Agreement.
One named category is “Real Time Generation,” which SAG-AFTRA describes as embedding a digital-replica-voiced chatbot in a game. The announced minimum for this use is 7.5 times scale. The union’s Board summary and agreement information page provide the public descriptions.
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These summaries do not establish a blanket ban on AI. They describe particular consent, disclosure, replica-payment, and strike-related provisions; the agreement text governs the exact definitions and exceptions.
Safety and reused performances
- A qualified medical professional must be present or readily available when hazardous actions or working conditions are planned.
- On-camera principal performers receive rest periods.
- Employers may not request stunts or other dangerous activity in virtual or self-taped auditions.
- Secondary performance payments provide compensation when visual performances are reused in another video game.
SAG-AFTRA summarized these provisions in its National Board announcement and Interactive Media Agreement information.
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What the union said about the settlement
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said the agreement provides “meaningful gains and important A.I. protections,” adding that the union would continue building on those protections as technology evolves. Audrey Cooling, speaking on behalf of video game producers party to the agreement, said it delivers wage increases, AI protections, and enhanced health and safety measures. Both statements appeared in the union’s July 9 ratification announcement.
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