Members of SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, on strike outside of Netflix in Los Angeles in September, 2023. The union ocalled a strike against video game companies that use actors’ images or voices in games, echoing its broader strike against television and movie studios last year.
SAG-AFTRA’s demands are similar to those it sought from television and movie studios last year: higher wages and job protections from the threat of artificial intelligence. The companies added, “We have already found common ground on 24 out of 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and additional safety provisions.”Some popular video games over the years have featured well-known actors, like Keanu Reeves, who appears in the dystopian sci-fi game Cyberpunk, and Samuel L. Jackson, who voices a character in a Grand Theft Auto game. But more often, video games are a starting point for more obscure actors looking to break into voice acting.