Why League of Legends Added to the Blocked Games List of SAG-AFTRA?

Riot Games’ popular multiplayer online game League of Legends has now been included in the list of blocked titles of the SAG-AFTRA video game strike.

The new strike began in July 2024, after initial negation between the Union and major game publishers fell through over artificial intelligence (AI) and unfair labor practices.

While League of Legends was initially exempt from the strike, it has now been added after SAG-AFTRA accused Formosa Interactive, a company providing voiceover services for the game, of engaging in illegal labor practices.

What’s the Issue with League of Legends?

According to SAG-AFTRA, Formosa Interactive allegedly tried to “cancel” one of its struck video games after the union’s strike began on July 26. When Formosa was informed that canceling the project was not an option, the company secretly transferred the game to a shell company and started hiring “non-union” talent to complete the work.

The union condemned this action, stating that Formosa’s behavior constitutes a direct violation of labor laws. The unilateral move to transfer union work to a non-union entity undermines performers’ rights and violates their ability to organize, according to the union’s statement.

SAG-AFTRA has since filed an unfair labor practice charge against Formosa with the National Labor Relations Board.

The Broader Video Game Actors Strike

The current SAG-AFTRA video game actors strike is a continuation of an ongoing labor dispute between the actors’ union and video game publishers which started in mid-2023. This strike is separate from the high-profile strike against Hollywood studios.

The video game actors strike is being handled on a title-by-title basis, rather than as a single, unified strike against the entire industry. This approach allows the union to target specific games and companies that they have issues with, while exempting other titles that were already in production before the latest contract extension or have signed pre-existing Contracts.

The primary reason for the video game actors strike is the protection of performers against the use of generative AI in the industry. SAG-AFTRA has accused some game companies of refusing to agree to “fair AI terms” that have already been accepted by other entertainment sectors, including film, TV, streaming, and music.

The union believes that the unchecked use of generative AI could threaten the livelihoods of its members by allowing game developers to create synthetic performances that could replace human actors.

Several other major gaming companies, including Activision Productions, Electronic Arts, and WB Games, are part of the bargaining group involved in negotiations with the union.

Future of the SAG-AFTRA Strike

Despite the ongoing strike, there has been some positive progress. Lightspeed LA, the developer of Last Sentinel, recently signed SAG-AFTRA’s agreement.

Additionally, SAG-AFTRA has reported that 80 games have signed their Interim IMA or Tiered Budget Independent agreements which allow indie developers with smaller budgets to work with union talent.

The strike is still ongoing and will not stop until the major studios mentioned above sign the broader IMA.