SAG-AFTRA announces new agreement for video game localization

SAG-AFTRA has announced a new agreement for video game localization.

The Independent Interactive Localization Agreement will cover the localization of projects written and published in a foreign language and then dubbed into English.

As part of the agreement, artists will receive AI protections and employment opportunities. It will also provide expanded session and voiceprint options compared to the original SAG-AFTRA Location Agreement.

The agreement will have the same basic terms as the Independent Interactive Media Agreement, which recently added a fourth tier for studios that have projects with a budget between $15 million and $30 million.

To qualify for the deal, SAG-AFTRA will evaluate projects based on whether the script was initially written in a foreign language and whether the intellectual property is located outside the US.

“This new agreement is the next step in our strategy to increase opportunities for companies that accept reasonable AI protections,” said SAG-AFTRA CEO and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

“When companies agree to the terms that SAG-AFTRA members need to maintain their sustainable livelihoods, those companies can immediately benefit from the incredible work of our artists, while recalcitrant companies’ projects stall during the strike.”

Interactive Media Agreement negotiating committee chair Sarah Elmaleh added: “Many brilliant and beloved games come to the US market from other countries, projects that need highly skilled localization interpreters, and those interpreters absolutely deserve protections. of solid and executable AI.

“Many of these companies have already signed interim localization agreements in a proud demonstration of their respect for their actors, and we hope that the updated terms in the Independent Interactive Localization Agreement will create even more opportunities for them to collaborate with American union talent.”