Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The 2025 SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement gives covered video game performers specific protections when an employer creates or uses a digital replica of their voice or likeness. In general, the agreement requires clear, separately signed or initialed written consent tied to a reasonably specific description of the intended use, and it sets minimum compensation rules for covered replica work. Those protections have limits: they apply according to the agreement covering the engagement, the kind of replica and use, and defined exceptions. They do not create a universal right to revoke any consent at any time.
The agreement took effect immediately after SAG-AFTRA members ratified it on July 9, 2025. The union reported a ratification vote of 95.04% to 4.96%. Its 2025 Interactive Media Agreement materials and the union’s February 2026 Digital Replicas and Consent bulletin describe how the negotiated rules work.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →What does the SAG-AFTRA video game agreement protect?
The agreement addresses how covered employers may create and use defined digital replicas of performers for new performances, including AI-generated voice performances and certain visual performances. Its central safeguards are advance, specific consent; compensation for the covered work and uses; restrictions on using a replica for a different program or purpose; and limited ways to suspend consent in strike circumstances.
These protections are contractual, not a blanket rule for every performer or game. SAG-AFTRA says the 2025 agreement covers named game producers, while tiered-budget I-IMA, independent localization, student, and game-jam agreements remain separate agreements with their own terms. A performer’s particular coverage therefore depends on the agreement governing the engagement and the work being performed.
Popular on Amazon
- 【90 Degree Full Function USB C Adapter】Supports the latest USB4 standard for up to 40Gbps of bandwidth, 8K video support, and up to 240W Fast charging; Support USB PD 3.1 Extended Power Range (EPR) including 140W, 180W and 240W. Your productivity is easily doubled. *Warm Tip: For the best fit, please make sure the USB-C port is fully exposed; thick or bulky cases may affect compatibility.
- 【Reliable Quality】Made from high-quality, scratch-resistant aluminum alloy, delicate metal frame. get excellent wear resistance and heat dissipation. Non-Slip Design for easier insertion and removal.
- 【Small and portable】Ultra thin size, ultra compact design, a petite physique that matches the minimalist design of your modern laptops. Coming with a slim figure that won't block the port next to the one it's plugged into.
- 【Compatibility】Widely work with most usb c, thunderbolt 4/3 devices. Compatibilit for ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Switch, MacBook Pro, Quest 3 VR headset, Surface Book 2, iPhone 18/17/16/15, Samsung Galaxy S23/S22/S21, Note 20/10, Google Pixel, ChromeBook, etc.
- 【Excellence Customer Support】If you experience any issues or cable failure, simply reach out to our dedicated customer service team. We provide a prompt response within 18 hours, providing you with the necessary technical support to resolve any concerns.
The union’s broader position, stated in March 2023, is that rights to digitally simulate a performer to create new performances must be bargained with the union; it also says recorded-performance uses and reuses are governed by collectively bargained provisions, including consent and compensation. That is SAG-AFTRA’s stated position, not a separate legal ruling. The 2025 agreement supplies the operative negotiated terms for engagements it covers.
What counts as a digital replica under the agreement?
The contract uses distinct categories for a “Digital Replica” and an “Independently Created Digital Replica” (ICDR). They should not be treated as interchangeable labels: each has its own definition and conditions, although the union’s 2026 bulletin says the consent requirements apply to both, subject to listed ICDR exceptions.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteA Vocal Digital Replica is an algorithmic system capable of generating new vocal performances in the voice of a specific principal performer. The agreement’s definition ties the replica to digital technology, primarily to the performer’s IMA-covered vocal performances, and to new performances that the performer did not previously record and that are made in lieu of the performer. The voice must be objectively identifiable as that performer’s, including when the performer is identified through a character role.
A Visual Digital Replica concerns generating new visual performances of a specific principal performer in particular roles in scripted cinematic content. The performances must not have been previously recorded by the performer, must be made in lieu of that performer, and must be objectively identifiable as the performer, including in character.
An ICDR is separately defined. Broadly, it can involve data or audiovisual performances outside the IMA, or prompting a generative AI system with a principal performer’s name, subject to detailed employment, role, identifiability, and other conditions in the agreement. Whether a particular asset or AI process falls into that category requires the full contract definitions and the facts of the engagement—not simply the fact that AI was involved.
Also popular on Amazon
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
Does the contract cover voice clones and visual likenesses in the same way?
No. The agreement’s treatment depends on the type of output and where it appears. The union says vocal replica coverage reaches both in-game and cinematic material, while the visual Digital Replica provisions address scripted cinematic scenes. SAG-AFTRA also says visual in-game material may qualify for a Secondary Performance Payment; that is different from assuming every visual in-game use is covered by the cinematic visual-replica rules.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Identifiability matters for both voice and visual replicas: SAG-AFTRA describes coverage in terms of output objectively identifiable as a specific performer, including in character. This is narrower than saying that any synthetic voice, generic character animation, or AI-generated asset automatically triggers the same replica terms. The applicable definition, source material, role, and use all matter.
Movement performers’ work on a volume illustrates another coverage boundary. SAG-AFTRA’s position is that this work is performance covered by the contract, while the employer bargaining group reserves a different position depending on the type of performance. The 2025 agreement preserves that disagreement, so coverage should not be presented as settled for every volume or motion-capture scenario.
What consent must a covered employer obtain?
For covered Digital Replicas and ICDRs, consent must be written clearly and conspicuously, separately signed, checked, or initialed—or provided in a separately signed writing—and limited by a reasonably specific description of intended use. A broad, buried provision that does not identify the contemplated use is not the consent process described in the union’s summary of the agreement.
The agreement summary says the use description must include material project information. Depending on the engagement, those details can include:
Also popular on Amazon
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
- Double Up on Efficiency: The two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C port support a fast 5Gbps data rate, significantly boosting your transfer speeds and improving productivity.
- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
- Project code name and prior intellectual property, and whether the performer is reprising a role.
- Genre and whether the work requires profanity or violent or sexual content.
- Stunts, role length, unusual terminology, and memorization or prompting devices.
- Whether real-time generation is planned.
The purpose of specificity is practical as well as formal: a performer can assess the assignment and the proposed replica use before agreeing. The contract summary states: “Performer’s consent to the creation and use of their Digital Replica must be: (1) Set forth in writing in a clear and conspicuous manner; (2) Separately signed or initialed; (3) Subject to a ‘reasonably specific description of intended use’…” The full 2025 agreement summary provides the union’s published description of the terms.
Consent is not a blank check for an employer to change the project or use later. SAG-AFTRA’s FAQ says that if the replica use no longer fits the reasonably specific description originally supplied, consent is invalidated and the use is no longer permitted under the agreement. The question is whether the actual use remains within the agreed description, not whether the performer dislikes the result after the fact.
Can a studio use a replica in another game or project?
Generally, a new use outside the Interactive Program for which the replica was created requires consent before that additional use. The agreement does not permit an employer to obtain that additional-use consent at initial employment as a general advance waiver.
There is a defined franchise exception. For franchise games, consent can be obtained at first employment if the franchise use is reasonably specifically described and compensation is agreed for each Interactive Program, subject to applicable minimums. This is not permission for unspecified reuse across any future project; the franchise, intended use, and payment arrangement must meet the contract’s conditions.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Other provisions are category-specific. The union bulletin notes that reuse in a linear program is subject to the agreement’s reuse provisions. It also identifies a pre-production exception for certain scratch or previz material where the performer has been employed on a game in the franchise. ICDRs have listed First Amendment and third-party authorized-licensing exceptions. These exceptions should be read in their own contractual contexts rather than generalized to every Digital Replica or every use.
Also popular on Amazon
- Portable and powerful USB-C HUB: BENFEI USB Type-C HUB, with super-soft and knot-free silicone woven design cable, meets most mobile office needs. Compact, lightweight, stylish, and powerful portable USB C Hub equipped with 1 x HDMI port, 1 x 100W charging, and 3 x USB ports. 18-month warranty, 24-hour response, to ensure you feel at ease when using our product.
- Design centered on comfort and reliability: Thanks to BENFEI's end-to-end in-house cable production capability, in-house PCBA and assembly capability, using the industry's most advanced silicone woven design and process, 20cm cable in length, no knots, super-soft, the HUB is easy to use in all scenarios: laptop, tablet, stand etc. Super-soft, 25000+ life cycles, to meet your daily carrying and office needs.
- 100W Charging: Support up to 90W USB C pass-through charging via Type-C port to keep your laptop powered. 10W is reserved for other interface operations. No data and video function on the Type-C port.
- 4K HDMI Display: The HDMI port supports media display at resolutions up to 4K 30Hz, keeping every incredible moment detailed and ultra vivid. Please note that the C port of the Host device needs to support video output.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Transfer files and from your laptop at speeds up to 10 Gbps with USB A 3.2 port. Extra 2 USB A 2.0 ports are perfectly for your keyboards and mouse.
How does the agreement pay performers for replica work?
The agreement sets different minimums for vocal and visual replicas, and the applicable formula depends on the work. Time spent providing covered services to create a Digital Replica counts as compensated work time and is subject to IMA working conditions. The figures below are contract formulas, not a universal dollar amount; the actual scale depends on the applicable minimums and engagement.
| Covered use | Minimum payment method described in the agreement |
|---|---|
| Vocal Digital Replica | Limited Integration payment, described as a session fee for each 300 lines generated. A line averages ten words or one individual sound, such as a monster or effort sound. |
| Visual Digital Replica | At least scale for the number of production days the employer estimates in good faith would have been required if the performer had worked in person. |
| Both vocal and visual forms | At least the greater of the applicable vocal or visual amounts. |
| Real-time generation of dialogue that was not pre-generated | At least 750% of the applicable minimum scale, according to SAG-AFTRA’s February 2026 bulletin. |
| Digital Replica used to generate pre-production material | At least one scale payment per Interactive Program, as stated in the agreement summary. |
The 750% rate is specific to qualifying real-time generation of dialogue that was not pre-generated; it should not be applied to every replica use. Similarly, the 300-line payment method is for vocal replica generation, while the visual formula is based on estimated in-person production days. When both types of replica are used, the summary says the minimum is the greater of the two amounts—not automatically their sum.
The agreement also raised general performer compensation by 15.17% compounded upon ratification, with further 3% compounded increases in November 2025, November 2026, and November 2027, according to SAG-AFTRA. Those general increases are separate from the digital-replica payment formulas above. They should not be substituted for the specific minimums governing replica creation or use.
Can an actor revoke or suspend consent?
Not as a general anytime right under the agreement. Consent to generate new material using a Digital Replica is automatically suspended during a strike for an Interactive Program subject to that strike. For other Interactive Programs, and for specified pre-production uses, a performer may suspend consent by giving written notice to the employer.
SAG-AFTRA’s FAQ cautions that, absent separately negotiated conditions for suspending consent, a strike is the only instance in which a performer may suspend consent, except where the agreement automatically suspends it. This is narrower than an unrestricted right to withdraw consent at will after signing.
Also popular on Amazon
- 【Read before You Buy】 Note: This adapter is USB 2.0 version and cannot transmit HDM, VGA, or other video signals. Nevertheless, they are fully capable of charging devices,duplicating files, and can be seamlessly integrated with USB-C earphones, wireless network adapters, and SD card adapters.
- 【Easy to Use and Safe】Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques, we've made these adapters sufficiently compact so that they can remain inserted in your device without noticeable protrusion or inconvenience. This means you don't have to constantly plug and unplug them, reducing the likelihood of wear and misalignment, and making them more convenient to carry around.
- 【Reliable Quality】Engineered for enhanced durability, durable aluminum alloy shell material,get excellent wear resistance and heat dissipation,the male USB C and female USB connectors & the male USB and female USB C connectors are designed to be plugged and unplugged up to 20000 times. Provides data transfer, device charging, memory space expansion, and additional computer peripherals.
- 【Think more for you】Do you need to connect a USB-C-enabled device to an odd device that only has USB-A ports? Then these USB-A male to USB-C female adapters are made for you.Simply insert the adapter into the USB-A port on the device, and you can instantly connect your USB-C device to the device that originally didn't have the correct connection port.
- 【Trusted xiwxi Quality and Service】As a responsible brand seller, you will receive xiwxi's 12-month Quality assurance and lifetime friendly customer service, you're not just buying a product,you're investing in peace of mind with all-round quality and exceptional customer service.
That limit does not eliminate the requirement to stay within the original consent. If use departs from the reasonably specific description, SAG-AFTRA says the consent is invalidated for that changed use. In practice, a performer assessing a concern should distinguish a request to stop a use that has changed from an attempt to withdraw permission for a use that remains within the agreed scope.
How can performers check coverage or raise a concern?
Start with the agreement covering the engagement, the consent document, and the described project and replica use. Confirm whether the work is governed by the 2025 Interactive Media Agreement or a separate agreement, whether the replica is categorized as a Digital Replica or ICDR, and whether the output and intended use fit the relevant definition. A contract label alone may not resolve disputed coverage, especially for movement performers or assets used in different contexts.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11SAG-AFTRA says members receive usage reports for Digital Replicas to help identify potential noncompliance. The union also describes claims, arbitration, and requests for information under the National Labor Relations Act as enforcement options. Members with a specific Interactive Agreement question can contact the union’s Interactive department at [email protected] or (323) 549-6815, as listed in the February 2026 bulletin. A case-specific concern may require review of the actual contract and engagement terms.
For actors, the central protection is therefore not simply that a company must ask before using “AI.” It is a defined, documented process: classify the replica and use, obtain consent with a reasonably specific description, pay the applicable minimum, and stay within the authorized scope—subject to the agreement’s exceptions and the coverage of the individual engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the SAG-AFTRA video game agreement cover games made outside the United States?
The materials summarized here identify the covered agreement and separate agreement categories but do not establish a general geographic rule for every production. For an international engagement, the relevant question is which union agreement governs that performer’s services and whether the employer and work fall within its coverage.
What should an actor keep after signing a digital-replica consent?
Keep the signed consent and the project description or other disclosure provided with it, including any written notice about real-time generation. Those records help establish what use was actually described and authorized if a later use is disputed.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Does the 2025 agreement mean every AI-generated game voice needs SAG-AFTRA consent?
No universal conclusion follows from the agreement: its provisions apply to covered performers, defined replica categories, and covered engagements. A synthetic voice that is not objectively identifiable as a specific performer, or work under a different agreement, may raise different contractual questions.
Where can a SAG-AFTRA member get help with a video game replica issue?
The union’s February 2026 Interactive bulletin lists [email protected] and (323) 549-6815 for the Interactive department. Members should have the agreement, consent paperwork, and relevant usage information available when asking about a specific case.
