Highlights
- Video game actors from the SAG-AFTRA union announced a strike over generative AI disputes on July 25.
- While the strike action threatens to stop a multitude of AAA productions, Take-Two Interactive says GTA 6 will be unaffected by it.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is not at risk of being delayed because of the 2024 game actors strike, Take-Two Interactive said. GTA 6 is hence still targeting a late 2025 release.
On July 25, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced a strike action targeting some of the biggest game developers in the United States. The union representing over 2,500 games industry performers said it opted for the move after being unable to reach an agreement over usage of generative artificial intelligence technologies.
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GTA 6 Is Exempt From 2024 SAG-AFTRA Strike
And while the job action threatens to stop multiple AAA productions, the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise reportedly isn’t part of that group, with Kotaku reporting that the much-anticipated game has been exempt from the strike, citing a statement from a Take-Two Interactive spokesperson. The official did not elaborate on the specifics of how the GTA 6 publisher managed to negotiate this exemption, although its very existence suggests that the company found some common ground with the union over its future approach to generative AI solutions.
The contentious issue at the root of the strike comes down to the specifics of how game developers should compensate actors for using AI to recreate their performances. Stronger AI protections for performers were one of the 25 demands that SAG-AFTRA communicated after setting its sights on the video game industry in 2023. The union has already reached an agreement with the ten groups it is negotiating with over the remaining 24 issues.
As things stand right now, the strike is targeting ten companies: Activision Productions, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts Productions, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, VoiceWorks Productions, WB Games, and Take 2 Productions, which is not affiliated with Take-Two Interactive. SAG-AFTRA members had already authorized the strike via a preliminary vote in September 2023, opting to stage a walkout should one be necessary during the negotiations.
Shortly thereafter, Take-Two Interactive offered assurances to investors that GTA 6 would be unimpeded by any and all labor issues, with CEO Strauss Zelnick describing the project as “completely protected” from the then-potential strike. The company’s newly released statement thus essentially reiterates that 2023 pledge. And while this turn of events lowers the chances of a GTA 6 delay, such an outcome is still within the realm of possibility. That’s largely because every AAA title that Rockstar released in the 21st century faced at least one major postponement prior to hitting the market.