A new strike by SAG-AFTRA video game voice actors over the use of AI voice likenesses is an important fight that should be supported at all costs. It is also going to be disruptive to at least some current video game projects, as strikes usually are.
The biggest question mark, however, is a game that is meant to be one of the biggest video game releases of all time, Grand Theft Auto 6, meant to be out in 2025, barring any delays. And will this be a delay?
Kotaku went through the stipulations of the strike, the answer is: no. GTA 6 is not one of the games being struck because it was already in production earlier than August 25, 2023, a measure that also includes ongoing live service games, as those are covered by a previous contract.
The catch here is that workers can choose not to work on the game in solidarity when the strike is going on and they cannot be penalized for doing so. From the SAG-AFTRA website:
“While not struck, this game is produced by a struck company. If you have been engaged under a daily contract for this game, you can show solidarity with your fellow union members by choosing not to sign new contracts on the game. However, you may work the game and will not be disciplined for doing so.”
In Rockstar’s case, it’s not clear how many of its voice actors were/are SAG-AFTRA in the first place. None of its cast members have even been confirmed yet, even as fans try to hunt them down based on trailer clues and voice matches.
If GTA 6 is delayed, it will likely not be because of this strike, but because well, it’s GTA 6. While Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has expressed confidence that the game will release in fall 2025, we have seen many a AAA fall release delayed into the following year for one reason or another, and I remain skeptical of GTA hitting this target.
It remains to be seen when GTA will actually reveal its voice cast, and lately, many games have not done that until extremely close to launch, if they do so at all. So it will be a while, and we won’t know any SAG-AFTRA connections until then. For now, given that the game is not being specifically struck, I would not expect any delays to come out of this situation.
I hope the voice actors cement their rights not to have their voices stolen, and if that delays any game for any period of time, even GTA, it’s going to be worth it.
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