Videogame Voice Actors Go on Strike
October 21 2016 - 6:40AM
Dow Jones News
Thousands of voice-over actors have gone on strike against 11
videogame companies, including industry powerhouses Electronic Arts
Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., over a pay
dispute.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and
Radio Arts, or SAG-AFTRA, has been negotiating terms for a new
contract with a coalition of nine videogame companies for nearly
two years. The union represents actors, whose voices and likenesses
are pervasive in videogames.
For example, Take-Two's hit series "Grand Theft Auto" includes
the voices of actors Gary Busey, Burt Reynolds and other Hollywood
stars. Lesser-known actors also fill key roles in games, some of
which feature episodic story lines that have been adapted for
movies, television series and books.
At the heart of the disagreement is actors' demands for a
portion of the revenue from game sales, on top of the industry's
standard average baseline rate of about $825 for a four-hour
session.
"Secondary compensation is what allows professional performers
to feed their families in between jobs," said a spokeswoman for
SAG-AFTRA in a prepared statement.
Members will picket Electronic Arts on Monday at its Los Angeles
studio, according to a release issued early Friday morning
confirming the strike is on.
Scott J. Witlin, an attorney for the publishers' coalition, said
they had offered additional pay beyond the standard hourly rate,
tied to the number of recording sessions an actor completes and not
a game's sales performance.
"We are disappointed," Mr. Witlin said. "Anytime any workers go
on strike it's disruptive."
SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members, including about 5,000
who specialize in videogame voice-over and other acting-related
work. It is unclear how many are participating in the strike, which
SAG-AFTRA has been promoting on Twitter and other social media.
"Given the long production cycle for a console game, the strike
would have to go on for a very long time for it to have an impact,"
Mr. Witlin said.
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 21, 2016 07:25 ET (11:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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