‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ and ‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6’ won’t be affected by voice actor strike

It appears a number of blockbuster games including Grand Theft Auto 6 and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 won’t be impacted by the voice actor strike.

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Late last week, it was confirmed by SAG-AFTRA that voice actors would be going on strike over concerns about the use of generative AI in video games after a series of talks broke down after 21 months.

It was reported that Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two, Activision, Insomniac, EA and voice acting studio Formosa Interactive, which has provided talent for The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Death Stranding, would all be impacted.

“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members,” SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said in a statement. “Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live—and work—with, we will be here, ready to negotiate.”

However, it’s now been confirmed that the strike only impacts games that have been in development for less than a year, meaning Grand Theft Auto 6, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, Assassin’s Creed Shadows and a number of other AAA titles won’t be affected by the walkouts.

“Due to certain provisions in the IMA [Interactive Media Agreement] contract, games that were in production at the time that the union provided the company its notice of termination are not currently subject to strike order. Most notices were sent in September 2022,” SAG-AFTRA wrote (via Eurogamer).

“We served a separate notice relating to live service games, which we can strike in less than 60 days,” SAG-AFTRA continued, meaning titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends are also free to continue working with voice actors for the time being. “We will update the membership if we expand the strike order to include those games closer to that time.”

Last year, the Screen Actors Guild union went on strike for several months after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over streaming residuals and safeguards against AI technology. The impacts of strikes are still being felt today, with a number of projects facing delays.

In other news, Fortnite players are banding together to destroy the latest ingame vehicle, the Tesla Cybertruck.

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