Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is not stringing against every company out there.

"A strike is not to be entered into lightly, but when the employers leave us with no recourse, we must stand firm for our members".

SAG-AFTRA said that sticking points in the negotiations include compensation issues and workplace safety measures for both voice and motion-capture actors.

A strike would forbid union members from working on any games for companies such as Activision, EA, Take 2, WB Games and more, and cover any games that went into production after February 17, 2015. In the words of Carteris, this is a "highly profitable industry" and that the strike is a way for SAG to secure for actors the "benefits they deserve".

"The National Board of Directors instructs all SAG-AFTRA members to withhold performing services and auditioning for work under the Interactive Media Agreement with respect to struck games for the following struck employers effective midnight of October 21, 2025", an official strike notice said.

"Despite years of concerted effort and negotiating sessions, video game employers have steadfastly refused to reach a fair deal during our contract negotiations", wrote the guild. "We are deeply disappointed to learn today of the Union's threatened a strike and its unilateral violation of the mutually agreed-upon "news black-out" on negotiation discussions", read the statement. The next negotiation session will take place October 17-19 "with the goal of creating a fair contract that is rooted in industry standards and best practices".

Blue Jays get to rest ahead of ALCS
But Rougned Odor bounced the throw to first and a diving Donaldson beat Mitch Moreland's desperate throw to home. For the Jays, Jason Grilli , Brett Cecil , and Roberto Osuna combined for three scoreless innings.

The union - which approved the strike previous year by about 96% - wants things like royalty payments for voiceover actors in games that sell two million copies, and stunt pay for recording sessions that prove to be "vocally stressful". He adds that SAG's posturing may not be entirely worthwhile since it represents less than a quarter of all video game performers.

"The [video game industry's] current proposals on the negotiation table includes wage increases for most performers and additional avenues for compensation that could yield many hundreds of dollars more in payments for limited integration and ratification bonuses", he said. The SAG-AFTRA constitution mandates that a strike authorization goes into effect only if backed by at least 75% of those voting; more than 96% of affected members voted in favor of the authorization.

"In addition, said the companies, "[Our] upcoming games are already in production and the majority will be unaffected by any SAG-AFTRA strike due to the nature of the "no strike provisions" of the collective bargaining agreement.

Witlin says that video game actors represented by SAG-AFTRA make $100/hour with benefits. Finally, it was noted that companies are actively looking to "reduce the burdens on performers" to ensure vocal stress doesn't become a thing.

"We produce Interactive Video Games for the enjoyment of people around the world and as a result we provide excellent jobs for many SAG-AFTRA members", Witlin said.