Summary
Earlier this week, the video game actors union SAG-AFTRA made a bombshell announcement,declaring that all actors part of the organization are going on strike starting on July 26in order to improve working conditions andsecure more protection from AI practices. A big list of publishers and developers that will be impacted by the strike was published, which included the likes of Activision, Electronic Arts, Insomniac Games, WB Games, and Take-Two Interactive.
The inclusion of Take-Two appeared to ring more alarm bells among gamers than others, seeing as it’s the publisher ofGrand Theft Auto 6, a game that ispoised to be 2025’s biggest launch by a landslide. Concerns over the title possibly being impacted or delayed were then made even more real after it was reported that SAG-AFTRA specifically called out the title as one that will be affected by the strike.
Thankfully, for those looking forward to GTA 6, it appears that these reports were either inaccurate or were given a false statement, as it’s now been clarified that the game is actually exempt from the strike.Speaking with Kotaku, a spokesperson for all the developers and publishers involved in the strike “can confirm GTA 6 is exempt,” along with any other game that was already in development before September 2023.
GTA 6 Won’t Be Affected By SAG-AFTRA’s Strike
Of course, things get a little messier depending on how long this strike goes on for. The likes of GTA 6 andMarvel’s Wolverinemay not be impacted, but there are plenty of titles that will be should it drag on for too long, as the companies included may have to resort to temporarily employing strikebreakers or just delaying projects outright.
The last time SAG-AFTRA went on strike was back in 2016, as the union fought for more transparency in roles, residuals, and safety protection. That particular strike lasted for a little under a year, kicking off in October 2016 and ending on September 17, so there’s plenty of precedent for these negotiations to last a long time, and SAG-AFTRA has explained live service games likeFortniteandApex Legendswill be impacted if the strike goes on longer than 60 days.
The ideal scenario is that we don’t get to that point, and video game actors are simply given the protection against AI that they want. Given thatnegotiations have been failing since October 2022 though, we may be in for the long haul with this one.
