SAG-AFTRA Plans To Include Up To $30 Million Indie Projects in Video Game Contract Expansion

SAG-AFTRA announced its plans to include a fourth tier of its proposed indie video game contract that would cover game developers' projects if they fall in the $15 million to $30 million budget range.

The development comes as there are ongoing negotiations between the union group and gaming giants. These include Activision, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games, Disney, and Take-Two, among others.

SAG-AFTRA Proposes Video Game Contract Expansion

SAG-AFTRA Plans To Include Up To $30 Million Indie Projects in Video Game Contract Expansion — The SAG-AFTRA union is proposing an expansion of its video game contract to include indie projects with a budget range of $15 million to $30 million.
(Photo : SAG-AFTRA / Screenshot taken from official website)

Per the actors union, the tiered agreement is said to further demonstrate SAG-AFTRA's objective of expanding its coverage for video games while also incorporating many of the sought-after provisions that are essential for the safety and sustainability of performers' careers.

This supposedly includes robust AI protections that will cover voice and movement performance for all of the four tiers.

Titled the Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, the updated proposed agreement now includes rates for projects in four ranges; $250,000 to $1 million, $1 million to $5 million, $5 million to $15 million, and $15 million to $30 million, according to Variety.

SAG-AFTRA said that the document captures the success of the project, coming with secondary payments, which the union said can be prepared at a reduced rate. It added that it would require informed consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas of a performer.

Initially, the contract introduced three tiers in February 2024, which allowed independent video game developers and projects with smaller budgets to access union talent. This was true for budget ranges up to $15 million prior to the latest expansion.

So far, the union is still in negotiations for a new contract with the mega gaming studios and a strike authorization vote has been approved by 98% in September. The interactive media agreement negotiating committee chair of SAG-AFTRA, Sarah Elmaleh, also praised the expanded scope of the agreement.

She said that under the new tier, more projects will be able to benefit from the skills and experience of union performers. She added that performers would also have more opportunities to work with the benefits and protections of a union contract, said GameDeveloper.

Benefitting From Union Performers

Additionally, chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said that all four IMA tiers come with much-needed provisions and protections for actors. He argued that it was crucial that protections be applicable to all of their members who perform in video games, including movement performers.

Crabtree-Ireland also noted that should a strike be mobilized, union actors could continue to work with indie developers under the tiered agreement. This means that actors could strike against triple-A developers while still working with their work with smaller teams.

Elmaleh said that as a union, SAG-AFTRA, the largest union in the world representing performers, is committed to creating contracts and waivers for the benefit of the people. It would foster actor-developer collaboration across every budget and scope.

She said that thousands of video games are released every year and argued that every single one deserves to benefit from union talent.

On top of the tiers, key features of the contract include the simplification and streamlining of the base language of the full Interactive Media Agreement, according to AnimationMagazine.