It's official! The members of SAG-AFTRA approved the 2025 SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement. The final tally of votes was 95.04% for the agreement and 4.96% against. This means that the video game strike is officially over, having been suspended pending ratification a month back anyway.
Some of the deals of the agreement were shared today. For instance, performer compensation includes compounded increases at a rate of 15.17% plus additional 3% increases in November 2025, November 2026, and November 2027. Overtime rate maximum "for overscale performers" will now be based on a double scale (paid double for overtime, if I understand that correctly). Plus, the health and retirement contribution rates to the AFTRA Retirement Fund will go from 16.5% to 17% and hen up to 17.5% in October 2026.
This contract also includes "safety guardrails and gains around A.I.," which includes consent requirements and disclosure requirements for replicating someone's voice with AI. It also allows for performers to "suspend consent for the generation of new material during a strike."
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said, “I commend the strong leadership of Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh, who remained steadfast through three years of hard bargaining while facing many challenging headwinds during a challenging negotiation cycle. This deal achieves important progress around A.I. protections, and progress is the name of the game! My sincere respect goes out to the entire video game performer community and their allies for their solidarity during the strike which provided the necessary leverage to secure this deal’s many essential gains.”
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice throughout the 11-month strike. I’d also like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee and its chair, Sarah Elmaleh, who have worked tirelessly for nearly three years in order to achieve these necessary gains and protections alongside our negotiating staff and lead negotiator Ray Rodriguez. Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.”
On behalf of the video game producers that are party to the agreement, spokesperson Audrey Cooling added, “We are pleased that SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new Interactive Media Agreement, which delivers historic wage increases, industry-leading A.I. protections, and enhanced health and safety measures for performers. We look forward to building on our industry's decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide."
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said, “All of us at SAG-AFTRA would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the video game performers and allies who endured a great deal of sacrifice throughout the 11-month strike. I’d also like to express my sincerest gratitude to the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee and its chair, Sarah Elmaleh, who have worked tirelessly for nearly three years in order to achieve these necessary gains and protections alongside our negotiating staff and lead negotiator Ray Rodriguez. Now that the agreement is ratified, video game performers will be able to enjoy meaningful gains and important A.I. protections, which we will continue to build on as uses of this technology settle and evolve.”
On behalf of the video game producers that are party to the agreement, spokesperson Audrey Cooling added, “We are pleased that SAG-AFTRA members have ratified a new Interactive Media Agreement, which delivers historic wage increases, industry-leading A.I. protections, and enhanced health and safety measures for performers. We look forward to building on our industry's decades-long partnership with the union and continuing to create groundbreaking entertainment experiences for billions of players worldwide."
