The ongoing video game industry strike has taken a dramatic turn as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has announced a strike against League of Legends. The union accuses Formosa Interactive, a company providing art and audio services to major game studios, of attempting to undermine the strike and violate labor laws.
SAG-AFTRA claims that Formosa secretly shifted work related to a struck video game to non-union performers. The union alleges that Formosa initially tried to “cancel” the video game and then transferred the project to a shell company to avoid union restrictions. This, according to SAG-AFTRA, is a “flagrant violation of labor law” and directly interferes with performers’ rights to unionize and participate in collective bargaining.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, condemned Formosa’s actions, stating, “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 further highlighted that Formosa’s actions represent a pattern of resistance from companies regarding AI-related terms, similar to those already adopted in 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.
In response to the accusations, Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, has denied any involvement. Riot clarified that League of Legends has no connection to the events mentioned in the union’s press release and has only used union performers in the US since becoming a union project five years ago.
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.”
As the strike continues, SAG-AFTRA has secured agreements with over 80 game developers, but the dispute with Formosa Interactive highlights the ongoing challenges the union faces in its efforts to secure fair working conditions and AI protections for performers in the gaming industry.
