SAG-AFTRA Calls Strike Against ‘League of Legends’
Hollywood’s performers union has called a strike against one of the video game industry’s most recognizable marquee titles.
On Tuesday SAG-AFTRA announced that it was telling members to cease work for the multiplayer online game League of Legends after its producer, Formosa Interactive, “tried to subvert” the union’s ongoing video game strike on an unnamed separate title. The union is responding by calling a work stoppage against League of Legends, a game that was not previously struck and is one of Formosa Interactive’s most well-known projects (the brand has also worked on God of War and Madden NFL 24).
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Formosa Interactive, an arm of postproduction audio company Formosa Group, provides voiceover work for League of Legends, according to the union.
The union charges Formosa Interactive, a union signatory and one of the members of the bargaining group that is currently at loggerheads with the union over a new Interactive Media Agreement, with representing to the union that it wanted to cancel one of its titles affected by the union’s ongoing video game strike. When the union pushed back against that request, it says the company attempted to circumvent the labor group by attempting to hire nonunion performers through a shell company for the same game.
The union filed an unfair labor practice against the company with the National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday. “SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law — that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers,” the union stated on Tuesday.
Said SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in a statement, “It’s bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair A.I. terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers. To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members. Formosa will be held accountable, starting with an immediate strike of League of Legends.”
In a statement, the Formosa Group said, “We fully reject SAG-AFTRA’s allegations and have not acted in any manner to undermine employee or union rights, nor our relationship with the union.” The company added, “We believe the strike of League of Legends, a game unrelated to the union’s claims, is not appropriate. We stand with developers, publishers, platform holders, and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all.”
League of Legends publisher Riot Games distanced itself from SAG-AFTRA’s allegations in its own statement, noting that it has “nothing to do with the complaint.” The company added, “We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise.”
SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing video game strike began on July 26 after nearly two years of negotiations with top producers failed to yield a new deal. With both sides stuck on contract language related to the use of AI in video game performances, SAG-AFTRA performers have been withholding their labor from employers including Disney Character Voices, Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games and Insomniac Games.
During the work stoppage, the union has been encouraging companies to sign to its interim agreement or tiered-budget agreement featuring AI contract language the union supports. On Sept. 4, the union stated that 80 games had signed on to the agreements, including Lightspeed LA’s Last Sentinel and Studio Wildcard’s ARK: Survival Evolved.
Sept. 24, 1:28 p.m. Updated with Riot Games statement.
Sept. 24, 6:54 p.m. Updated with Formosa Group statement.
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