Lightspeed LA Aigns SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement Amid Video Game Strike

Video game company Lightspeed L.A. has signed a SAG-AFTRA interim Interactive Media Agreement that allows it to continue production with union performers even as the strike against other major videogame publishers winds into its sixth week.

The deal will apply to current and future Lightspeed L.A. games. The company is home to the game “Last Sentinel,” which is the studio’s first title to move forward under the new agreement. SAG-AFTRA is on strike against Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games and other major publishers. The union is asking for tougher curbs on the use of AI to create digital replicas of performers and their voice or likeness, as well as higher minimums to address the impact of inflation in recent years.

“I am delighted to be partnering with Lightspeed L.A. Their upcoming game may be set in a world of technology run amok, but by agreeing to equitable terms, they’re working to make sure that the real future will not be a dystopian one for performers,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “My gratitude to Steve, the entire crew at Lightspeed L.A., and the SAG-AFTRA members working on this project, all of whom made this collaboration possible.”

SAG-AFTRA called its video game strike on July 26. The union waged a four-month film and TV strike last year over similar issues of AI protections and compensation hikes. In 2016 and 2017, SAG-AFTRA struck 11 video game publishers for 13 months for voice peformance work.

“Lightspeed L.A. has always recognized and valued the irreplaceable role of talent, which injects creativity, innovation, and the human touch into video games. Supporting our cast is the right thing to do and there was never any hesitation to consider the performer protections that anchor this agreement,” said Steve Martin, general manager of Lightspeed L.A. “We want to thank Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and everyone at SAG-AFTRA for their openness and collaboration to help deliver this agreement.”

Sarah Elmaleh, chair of the negotiating committee for the union’s Interactive Media Agreement, emphasized that the Lightspeed L.A. deal signals some publishers are willing to work with the union’s terms on the table.

“This strike has always been as much about the start of work with proper A.I. protections as it is stopping work without them. Lightspeed L.A. understands how crucial these protections are to the actors, and followed through with an outstanding commitment not only to this cast, but their future casts,” said Elmaleh. “They made their genuine appreciation of performers as contributors concrete and impactful. I am thrilled about this partnership and cannot wait to see what this talented team of developers and performers makes together.”