Video Game Actors Union Calls for Strike Against League of Legends

Video game actors' union calls for strike against 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "League of Legends" is caught in the middle of a dispute between Hollywood's actors union and an audio company that provides voiceover services for the blockbuster online multiplayer game. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called a strike against "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing that Formosa Interactive attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on an unrelated title. Formosa tried to "cancel" the unnamed video game, which was covered by the strike, shortly after the start of the work stoppage, SAG-AFTRA said. The union said when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," said the union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. "To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." "League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. The company provides voiceover services for the game, according to SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against -- a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law." Formosa rejected the union's allegations and said the company has not "acted in any manner to undermine employee or union rights, nor our relationship with the union." "We believe the strike of 'League of Legends,' a game unrelated to the union's claims, is not appropriate," said Paul Lipson, senior vice president of Formosa Group. "We stand with developers, publishers, platform holders and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all." The strike comes as the video games industry struggles with both softer demand and a tougher supply-side environment, which means game publishers face growing risks as they increasingly rely on outside contractors, said Joost van Dreunen, author of "One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games." This year's record game industry layoffs, he added, lead to more companies outsourcing work to firms like Formosa, "which raises concerns about potential damage to reputations if these partners act unethically." "Even companies with strong reputations, like Riot Games -- which is not at fault here -- see their risks rise due to their partners' actions," he said. "It forces publishers to ensure all their partners meet ethical standards to protect their brands." "League of Legends" developer Riot Games said that the company "has nothing to do" with the union's complaint. "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 U.S. and has never once suggested doing otherwise," Riot said in an emailed statement. "In addition, we've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered." SAG-AFTRA's allegations are related to a non-Riot game, the game publisher said. The union said members must immediately stop providing covered services to "League of Legends." Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory. "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory." SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks.

Video game actors' union calls for strike against 'League of Legends'

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called a strike against "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing that Formosa Interactive attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on an unrelated union title. Formosa tried to "cancel" the unnamed video game, which was covered by the strike, shortly after the start of the work stoppage, SAG-AFTRA said. The union said when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge. "League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. The company provides voiceover services for the game, according to SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against -- a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law." Formosa did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "League of Legends" developer Riot Games said that the company "has nothing to do" with the union's complaint. "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 U.S. and has never once suggested doing otherwise," Riot said in an emailed statement. "In addition, we've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered." SAG-AFTRA's allegations are related to a non-Riot game, the game publisher said. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," said the union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. "To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." SAG-AFTRA members must immediately stop providing covered services to "League of Legends," the union said. Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory. "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory." SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks.

Video game actors' union calls for strike against 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood's actors union called a strike against the popular multiplayer online game "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing the company that produces the game attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on a union title. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said the company, Formosa Interactive LLC, tried to "cancel" an unnamed video game affected by the strike shortly after the start of the work stoppage. The union said that when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge. "League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against -- a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law." Formosa and Riot Games, the developer of "League of Legends," did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," the union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in a statement. "To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." SAG-AFTRA members must immediately stop providing covered services to "League of Legends," the union said. Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory and provided voiceover services to "League of Legends," according to SAG-AFTRA. "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory." SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks.

Video game actors' union calls for strike against 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hollywood's actors union called a strike against the popular multiplayer online game "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing the company that produces the game attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on a union title. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said the company, Formosa Interactive LLC, tried to "cancel" an unnamed video game affected by the strike shortly after the start of the work stoppage. The union said that when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge. "League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against -- a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law." Formosa and Riot Games, the developer of "League of Legends," did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," the union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in a statement. "To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." SAG-AFTRA members must immediately stop providing covered services to "League of Legends," the union said. Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory and provided voiceover services to "League of Legends," according to SAG-AFTRA. "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory." SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks.

Video game actors' union calls for strike against 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hollywood's actors union called a strike against the popular multiplayer online game "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing the company that produces the game attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on a union title. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said the company, Formosa Interactive LLC, tried to "cancel" an unnamed video game affected by the strike shortly after the start of the work stoppage. The union said that when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge. "League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against -- a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law." Formosa and Riot Games, the developer of "League of Legends," did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," the union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in a statement. "To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." SAG-AFTRA members must immediately stop providing covered services to "League of Legends," the union said. Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory and provided voiceover services to "League of Legends," according to SAG-AFTRA. "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory." SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks.

Video Game Actors' Union Calls for Strike Against 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hollywood's actors union called a strike against the popular multiplayer online game "League of Legends" on Tuesday, arguing the company that produces the game attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on a union title. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said the company, Formosa Interactive LLC, tried to "cancel" an unnamed video game affected by the strike shortly after the start of the work stoppage. The union said that when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only." In response, the union's interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against "League of Legends" as part of that charge. "League of Legends" is one of Formosa's most well-known projects. SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against -- a move the union called "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law." Formosa and Riot Games, the developer of "League of Legends," did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," the union's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, said in a statement. "To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." SAG-AFTRA members must immediately stop providing covered services to "League of Legends," the union said. Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory and provided voiceover services to "League of Legends," according to SAG-AFTRA. "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory." SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union's interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

US video game actors call strike on maker of popular game 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Union video game actors filed an unfair labor practice charge and declared a strike on Tuesday against the company Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for the popular online game "League of Legends," the actors' union said. SAG-AFTRA union members have stopped providing covered performance services to "League of Legends," and the massive multiplayer online battle arena game, developed by Riot Games in 2009, is now listed by the union as a struck game. "The complaint comes after Formosa tried to 'cancel' one of its struck video games shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's video game strike," the union said in a statement. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'NON-UNION' talent only." The union said the transfer violated performers' rights to strike under labor laws. Formosa Interactive did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Riot Games said in a statement on Tuesday that "League of Legends" had nothing to do with the union's claims and had "never once suggested" Formosa should engage with non-union performers. The American video game developer also said it had not asked Formosa to cancel a previously registered game. Known for its free-to-play structure and team collaboration, "League of Legends" is one of the most popular games in the world with one of the largest Esports competitions. The League of Legends World Championship gives teams from around the globe the opportunity to compete for millions of dollars that are distributed among members. This strike follows the union's recent gains with legal protections against artificial intelligence (A.I) for Hollywood performers signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September as well as a deal reached with major record labels such as Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in April. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Stephen Coates)

US Video Game Actors Call Strike on Maker of Popular Game 'League of Legends'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Union video game actors filed an unfair labor practice charge and declared a strike on Tuesday against the company Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for the popular online game "League of Legends," the actors' union said. SAG-AFTRA union members have stopped providing covered performance services to "League of Legends," and the massive multiplayer online battle arena game, developed by Riot Games in 2009, is now listed by the union as a struck game. "The complaint comes after Formosa tried to 'cancel' one of its struck video games shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's video game strike," the union said in a statement. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'NON-UNION' talent only." The union said the transfer violated performers' rights to strike under labor laws. Formosa Interactive did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Riot Games said in a statement on Tuesday that "League of Legends" had nothing to do with the union's claims and had "never once suggested" Formosa should engage with non-union performers. The American video game developer also said it had not asked Formosa to cancel a previously registered game. Known for its free-to-play structure and team collaboration, "League of Legends" is one of the most popular games in the world with one of the largest Esports competitions. The League of Legends World Championship gives teams from around the globe the opportunity to compete for millions of dollars that are distributed among members. This strike follows the union's recent gains with legal protections against artificial intelligence (A.I) for Hollywood performers signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September as well as a deal reached with major record labels such as Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in April. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Actors union declares strike on 'League of Legends' video game maker...

Union video game actors filed an unfair labor practice charge and declared a strike on Tuesday against the company Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for the popular online game "League of Legends," the actors' union said. SAG-AFTRA union members have stopped providing covered performance services to "League of Legends," and the massive multiplayer online battle arena game, developed by Riot Games in 2009, is now listed by the union as a struck game. "The complaint comes after Formosa tried to 'cancel' one of its struck video games shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's video game strike," the union said in a statement. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'NON-UNION' talent only." The union said the transfer violated performers' rights to strike under labor laws. Formosa said it rejects SAG-AFTRA's allegations and has not undermined union rights in any way. "We believe the strike of 'League of Legends', a game unrelated to the union's claims, is not appropriate," it said in a statement. Formosa "stands with developers, publishers, platform holders, and talent" and promotes ethical game development, it added. Riot Games said in a statement on Tuesday that "League of Legends" had nothing to do with the union's claims and had "never once suggested" Formosa should engage with non-union performers. The American video game developer also said it had not asked Formosa to cancel a previously registered game. Known for its free-to-play structure and team collaboration, "League of Legends" is one of the most popular games in the world with one of the largest Esports competitions. The League of Legends World Championship gives teams from around the globe the opportunity to compete for millions of dollars that are distributed among members. This strike follows the union's recent gains with legal protections against artificial intelligence (A.I) for Hollywood performers signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September as well as a deal reached with major record labels such as Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in April.

League of Legends added to SAG-AFTRA strike list

Formosa Interactive rejects SAG-AFTRA's allegations of wrongdoing and said the strike against League was 'not appropriate'. SAG-AFTRA, the US entertainment labour union, yesterday (24 September) called for a strike against popular online video game League of Legends and filed an unfair labour practice charge against Formosa Interactive, a company that provides voiceover services to the game. The union went on strike against video game employers in July this year after game companies and voice actors could not come to a consensus on consent, compensation and transparency around the use of AI in voice acting. Formosa Interactive provides services to video-game developers and was part of the group negotiating with strikers to reach an agreement. "The complaint comes after Formosa tried to 'cancel' one of its struck video games shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's video game strike," the union's statement reads. After the union informed Formosa that the cancellation would not be possible, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for non-union talent only", the union claims. SAG-AFTRA called Formosa's actions "a flagrant violation of labour law". League of Legends is now added to the union's 'struck list', and members have been ordered to stop providing covered services for the video game. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director and chief negotiator. "To commit illegal, unfair labour 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, Formosa said that they reject SAG-AFTRA's allegations, calling League of Legends' strike inappropriate. "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. "We believe the strike of League of Legends, a game unrelated to the union's claims, is not appropriate." Riot Games, the owners of League of Legends, denied any part in Formosa's actions and said in an X statement: "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. "In addition, we've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered." SAG-AFTRA recently struck a deal with talent marketplace platform Narrativ that will allow performers to license their AI voice replicas for use in digital audio. Narrativ agreed to the union's requirements around AI informed consent, control and compensation. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

SAG-AFTRA strikes against League of Legends over voiceover company actions

The union alleges that Formosa Interactive tried to evade its July strike. SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board. Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games. Today, the union that Formosa attempted to "cancel" a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for "non-union" talent only," according to the press statement. "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." League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator. We have reached out to Riot Games for a statement about its work with Formosa and will update if we hear from the studio.

SAG-AFTRA Strikes League of Legends Over Alleged 'Flagrant Violation of Labor Law' - IGN

The Screen Actors Guild -- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has officially called a strike against League of Legends, with the union saying that a company that produces the game, Formosa Interactive LLC, tried to subvert the ongoing video game strike. SAG-AFTRA posted a strongly worded statement on its website today, accusing Formosa of "a flagrant violation of labor law." According to the statement, Formosa allegedly tried to "cancel" one of its struck video games after the start of the strike. When the company was told that was not possible, SAG-AFTRA says, Formosa "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'NON-UNION' talent only." SAG-AFTRA calls the alleged actions by Formosa "egregious violations of core tenets of labor law," and has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board in response. Not only that, but SAG-AFTRA's National Executive Director has called a strike against one of Formosa's most popular titles, League of Legends, meaning all SAG-AFTRA members must cease any union-covered services they may have been providing for the game. "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," SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. "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." "League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them," added Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. "Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory. And such regrettable choices are unnecessary when our union committee and staff are as collaborative and excited to create protected work as our performers love to collaborate with game makers, and love this work." SAG-AFTRA called the video game strike back in July, the main reason being that video game companies have not come to an agreement with actors over regulating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their projects. The union notes in today's statement that Formosa is "one of the members of the bargaining group that has refused to agree to protect our members against the unethical use of A.I." Some positive momentum in the strike, however, was made earlier this month after Last Sentinel developer Lightspeed LA signed SAG-AFTRA's agreement promising better rights for actors and protections against artificial intelligence. Following that announcement, the union revealed that 80 games signed their tiered-budget or interim agreement, "proving that the union's provisions -- which include common sense A.I. protections -- are fair and achievable." IGN has reached out to Riot Games, which publishes League of Legends, and Formosa for comment. For more on the video game strike in the meantime, check out our breakdown on what it all means for gamers.

SAG-AFTRA Calls Strike Against 'League of Legends'

Writers Guild East Launches Organizing Drive at A+E Factual Studios 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). Formosa Interactive 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 non-union performers through a shell company for the same game. The union says it has filed an unfair labor practice against the company with the National Labor Relations Board over the alleged infraction. "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. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Formosa Interactive for comment. 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."

SAG-AFTRA Strikes League Of Legends Contractor, Riot Games Responds: 'LoL Has Nothing To Do With The Complaint'

The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has announced a strike against League of Legends after accusing Formosa Interactive of attempting to undermine the ongoing video game industry strike. According to GamesIndustry.biz, The union, which represents actors in film, television, and video games, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Formosa. See Also: SAG-AFTRA Calls Video Game Strike Over AI Concerns In a statement, SAG-AFTRA claimed that Formosa Interactive, which provides art and audio services to top-tier game studios, violated labor laws by secretly shifting work related to a struck video game to non-union performers. The union expressed that this action was "a flagrant violation of labor law" and that it directly interfered with performers' rights to unionize and participate in collective bargaining. Union Claims Formosa Tried To Evade Strike Restrictions The accusations emerged after Formosa allegedly attempted to "cancel" a video game that was part of the strike, later transferring the project to a shell company to avoid union restrictions. The union's national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, condemned the company's actions: "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." Crabtree-Ireland said that Formosa's actions were not only an attempt to sidestep union labor protections but also a reflection of ongoing resistance by companies to adopt AI-related terms similar to those already embraced by the film, television, and music industries. SAG-AFTRA had previously voted to strike after failing to reach an agreement with gaming companies over AI protections and performers' working conditions. As the strike continues, the union has secured agreements with over 80 game developers, but the dispute with Formosa Interactive is one of the most significant challenges it has faced. Riot Games Responds: "League Of Legends Is Not Involved" In the wake of the accusations, Riot Games has responded, denying any involvement in the allegations made by SAG-AFTRA. In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Riot clarified that League of Legends has no connection to the events mentioned in the union's press release. "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA's press release. 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." Riot further distanced itself from the controversy, explaining that the allegations pertain to a different game and are unrelated to any of its projects: "We've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered. All the allegations in SAG-AFTRA's press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games." Read Next: SAG-AFTRA Strike Hits Video Game Industry, But GTA 6 Remains Unaffected Image credits: Shutterstock. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

SAG-AFTRA calls a strike of League of Legends voice actors with immediate effect

The soap opera of the struggle of video game voice actors against abuses by big companies continues unabated. SAG-AFTRA has called a new strike over a particular title, League of Legends, while alleging that the game's producer, Formosa Interactive, tried to circumvent the lockout by hiring new non-union voice actors through a shell company to work on LoL. Moreover, the workers' union also accuses the company of attempting to cancel an undisclosed game that has been affected by the workers' strike, this one related to AI regulation. The union has reported the company to the National Labor Relations Board for unfair labour practices. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of basic principles of labour law: employers may not interfere with the right of artists to form or join a union and may not discriminate against unionised artists," said a union representative. We will have to wait a little longer to see how far this escalation between workers and management will go. Formosa is precisely one of the companies least favourable to negotiate the Interactive Media Agreement with which the union wants to protect the original work of voice artists from the unmeasured use of AI. We will keep an eye out for any news on this issue and on the future of League of Legends.

Riot distances itself from League of Legends SAG-AFTRA strike

Developer Riot has issued a statement to distance itself from a strike by SAG-AFTRA actors' union members against its League of Legends game. Last night, the actor's union called a strike against Riot's online game due to its connection to Formosa Interactive LLC. Formosa Interactive is a production company involved in making League of Legends, and one which SAG-AFTRA has accused of trying to "subvert the video game strike", which was announced in July. The union's press release stated Formosa - which has also worked on the Call of Duty series, Zelda and God of War, among others - attempted to "cancel" one of its games affected by the SAG-AFTRA video game strike in order to continue with non-union actors. Since then, Riot has issued its own statement, writing "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned" by SAG-AFTRA. "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," Riot wrote on social media platform X. "In addition, we've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA's press release relating to cancelling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games." In the press release announcing SAG-AFTRA's League of Legends strike, the union said it believes the actions by Formosa to be "a flagrant violation of labour law" . As such, SAG-AFTRA "has filed an unfair labour practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board". SAG-AFTRA claims that when Formosa was told it was not possible to "cancel " one of its struck video games, the company "secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'non-union' talent only". In protest, the union called its strike on League of Legends, as this is one of the most high-profile games Formosa has worked on. "It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA. "To commit illegal unfair labour practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members." Many video game performers, including Solid Snake actor David Hayter and Commander Shepard actor Jennifer Hale, have shared their concerns about AI and its impact on their work. In April this year, our Ed spoke to several BAFTA-nominated Baldur's Gate 3 actors, who revealed the darker side of success, fuelled by AI voice cloning.

The SAG-AFTRA strike will now impact League of Legends -- here's why

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced Tuesday that it's adding Riot Games' League of Legends as a struck game -- meaning union voice actors currently working on the game must stop. SAG-AFTRA is also filing an unfair labor practice charge against sound company Formosa Interactive over what it alleged was an attempt to circumvent the ongoing strike. More than 2,500 video game performers went on strike in late July, after nearly two years of negotiation with major video game companies. The big sticking point in the negotiations appears to be related to artificial intelligence protections, but the League of Legends strike is unrelated to AI. Instead, SAG-AFTRA alleged in a news release that Formosa Interactive "tried to 'cancel' one of its struck video games shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's video game strike" and then attempted to transfer the game to a "shell company" so it could hire non-union actors. The full unfair labor charge is not yet available online; Polygon has requested a copy.

As SAG-AFTRA's anti-AI voice actor strike extends to League of Legends, Riot maintains that it's been simply been caught in the crossfire

"League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers." After threatening to do so back in July, SAG-AFTRA, a union that represents over 160,000 professionals across acting and performance disciplines, went ahead with a strike. The strike in question targets AI-generated voice work which, the union claims, requires "fair, reasonable AI protections" to avert a future of talent exploitation, where voice actors aren't cajoled into signing off on allowing companies to use their voice in perpetuity. In a statement this Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA added League of Legends to the list of videogames under strike: "SAG-AFTRA members must immediately cease providing covered services to League of Legends and the game will be updated on the union's search function as a struck game." The League strike isn't quite targeting Riot Games, but rather Formosa Interactive, a production company that works with multiple studios on different games including Helldivers 2, God of War: Ragnarok, Death Stranding, Apex Legend -- the list goes on. SAG-AFTRA alleges that Formosa tried to subvert the strike by attempting to "'cancel' one of its struck videogames shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's videogame strike. When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for 'NON-UNION' talent only." These, the union maintains, are "egregious violations of core tenets of labour law -- that employers cannot interfere with performers' rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers." Riot took to Twitter to defend its innocence, writing: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA's press release. "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. In addition, we've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA's press release relating to cancelling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games." The actual degree of Riot's innocence, though, is far muddier. As voice actor Linsay Rousseau, who is participating in the strike, writes, "To be fair, @riotgames is a struck company and they've had two months to come to the union and make a deal. But they haven't seemed interested in protecting their actors from AI." Rousseau clarified in a separate tweet, "We encourage @riotgames to sign directly with the union and keep League recording." As for Formosa? It's denying the allegations up and down: "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. We believe the strike of League of Legends, a game unrelated to the union's claims, is not appropriate. We stand with the developers, publishers, platform holders, and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all." It's a little messy -- I'm not going to shed tears for Riot as a company, but it has to be frustrating to catch a glancing blow because your vendor allegedly engaged in some sketchy, anti-union nonsense. That might just about be the point on the union's part, though. If the accusations prove true, then Formosa's shown it's willing to go to lengths to avoid negotiating with SAG-AFTRA. League of Legends isn't at fault for that, but motivating Riot to sign with the union directly (potentially losing Formosa what's bound to be a lucrative client) feels like a solid way to apply leverage. We'll see if it pans out -- maybe we'll see more bizarre justifications pop out of the woodworks, like Amazon Games' CEO claiming that videogames "don't really have acting".