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Earlier this month SAG-AFTRA and the negotiating group representing studios like Activision Blizzard, EA, and Take-Two finally signed a new Interactive Media Agreement. The deal officially ends an 11-month strike and three years of bargaining, with boosts to actor’s pay, new safety standards, and most crucially—terms around the use of generative AI.
With labor organizing on the rise across the game industry, you’d have reason to wonder what it’s like to sit in that negotiating room, wrangling with lawyers for a company looking out for its own self-interest. We’re thrilled this week to have actor and SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Negotiating Committee chair Sarah Elmaleh on the Game Developer Podcast to explain her experience during the three-year ordeal.
It was a process that came with huge wins—and its own kind of costs.
Hear how SAG-AFTRA wants to help developers use “digital replicas”
Additionally, we quizzed Sarah about SAG-AFTRA’s decision to compromise on the use of generative AI—to not bar the practice, but to set terms that give actors more control over their data and how it’s used.
To land a fair deal, Elmaleh had to listen to actors eager to experiment with the technology along with those who view it as an existential threat.
About The Game Developer Podcast
The Game Developer podcast is a bi-weekly podcast chronicling the triumphs, catastrophes, and everything in-between of game development, sharing lessons and strategies fellow developers can use to hone their craft. The Game Developer Podcast is hosted by Bryant Francis, edited by Pierre Landriau, and features music by Mike Meehan.
You can follow Sarah Elmaleh on Bluesky.
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