4 hours Ago By Leah J. Williams
‘s upcoming DLC, set to launch on , , as SAG-AFTRA union members working in the games space are still on strike. Per Bungie, certain voice lines will be silent in-game, with subtitles standing in for actors. These subtitles will be on by default, to “ensure players do not miss any narrative content” and they will be customisable based on size, colour, and background.
In addition, any activities that have missing voice acting “will display a warning before launching those activities.” Bungie’s notice is an important reminder that SAG-AFTRA game actors remain on strike, and have been campaigning for better protections in their work contracts since July 2024. The major sticking point of these contract negotiations is AI, as many video game companies are currently refusing to provide guarantees to actors that their voices will not be replicated and exploited using AI technology.
“[SAG-AFTRA members who work in video games] deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming, and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the A.I. use of their faces, voices, and bodies,” Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA president said in the initial strike announcement.
“We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough.” Since the announcement of the strike, work on around , due to the signing of interim contract agreements with SAG-AFTRA.
Companies including Lightspeed L.A., Studio Wildcard, Little Bat Games, and more are part of these agreements.
It appears Bungie is not one of the signees, as work on has been significantly impacted. It’s worth nothing it’s not the only company impacted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Riot Games recently confirmed new skins would lack custom voiceovers due to the strike, and Kojima Productions the strike has impacted work on upcoming games and .
What’s next for the SAG-AFTRA strike? At this stage, it’s unclear how companies will progress with future plans for big budget games that have SAG-AFTRA talent on board. Since July 2024, there has been minimal movement on overarching contract negotiations, despite the growing risk of AI being used to exploit signed talent. The reality is game production will be impacted for as long as studios refuse to provide requested AI protections.
While SAG-AFTRA has returned to the negotiating table since the strike began, a solution appears further away than ever. Until the video game companies and the union can agree, companies like will continue to implement lesser features to circumvent the inclusion of union voice talent – even to the detriment of game quality..
