We may soon see a series of significant delays in the development of dozens of upcoming video games, as the largest union of voice actors in America has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike.

For the last few weeks, members of SAG-AFTRA, the joint union between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, have been voting on whether or not to approve the strike. The vote ended on Monday, October 5, with a landslide result: 96.52 percent voted in favor of striking.

The circumstances that led to this result involve failed negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and video game publishers over new contract terms after the Interactive Media Agreement expired at the end of 2014.

The union’s requests included performance bonuses for actors based on the success of a game, provisions for “stunt pay” on vocally stressful recording sessions, the presence of professional stunt coordinators during motion capture sessions, and better transparency between game studios and actors regarding game content and the number of voice acting sessions involved in the project.

Publishers rejected each of these terms and fired back with some of their own, which included the ability to fine a voice actor for $2,500 if they “show up late or are not ‘attentive to the services for which [they] have been engaged.’ ” SAG-AFTRA previously stated that this term is ridiculous, pointing out that “this means you could be fined for almost anything: checking an incoming text, posting to your Twitter feed, even zoning out for a second.”

The strike has been approved, but it will not begin automatically. However, it may give SAG-AFTRA significantly more leverage in its negotiations with game publishers.

“It is important to note that the referendum result does not mean that members are on strike, rather, it gives the National Board the authority to declare a strike,” SAG-AFTRA explained on its website. “A 75 percent ‘yes’ vote was required to give the National Board that authority. With this result in hand, the Negotiating Committee will seek to return to the bargaining table and continue to press for a fair resolution on behalf of performers working in video games.”

Photo by Baohm (Pixabay)