Video Game Companies Send ‘Last, Best and Final’ Counteroffer to SAG-AFTRA on AI Protections

The consortium of major video game companies that are signatories to SAG-AFTRA’s Interactive Media Agreement have sent what they called a “last, best and final” counterproposal to the actors’ union.

The offer, viewed by TheWrap, attempts to address the guild’s remaining sticking points on artificial intelligence protections, comes as the video game actors strike approaches its 10th month.

Among the changes included in the new contract offer, the companies have removed a requirement that performers pay back money received for giving their consent to create digital replicas based on their performance if they wish to withhold that consent during a strike. SAG-AFTRA sought language that protected its members’ ability to prevent replicas based on their performance, voice and likeness from being used to undermine a work stoppage.

The new offer also removes the option for companies to pay a performer a buyout sum of at least six times minimum rates in exchange for three years of unlimited digital replica use that could be renewed. SAG-AFTRA told members in a memo sent last week that members whose performances would require unlimited digital replica use would get more pay for each usage, calling buyouts a “purposeful discount to employers.”

SAG-AFTRA previously went on a video game strike in 2016 that lasted for 11 months before being resolved in September 2017. While the strike is affecting video games on a case-by-case basis, the companies that are signatories to the Interactive Media Agreement are Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take 2 , VoiceWorks and WB Games.

The day the strike went into effect in July, Negotiating Committee chair Sarah Elmaleh and Interactive Agreement lead negotiator Ray Rodriguez laid out the guild’s issues, asserting that among other things video game industry counteroffers contained loopholes designed to effectively neutralize any protections.

Among them, according to the guild this included protection of motion capture performances only for actors portraying video game characters that resemble the actor. (Which would exclude the vast majority of motion capture roles). Voice performances would have similarly only been protected if the actor used a voice similar to their own.

SAG-AFTRA also wants to enshrine consent and compensation for performers for any use of their work in any AI models for video games.

Naturally video game companies dispute this, saying at the time the strike was declared that they were “disappointed the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to a deal, and we remain prepared to resume negotiations.”

The post Video Game Companies Send ‘Last, Best and Final’ Counteroffer to SAG-AFTRA on AI Protections appeared first on TheWrap.