Yesterday evening, Eirik highlighted during the news segment that the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is organizing a new strike focusing on the video game industry. They are challenging the way artificial intelligence, among other issues, is being utilized within the industry.
Video games typically have a longer production cycle compared to films or television series, leading to the initial belief that a prolonged walkout might not influence the gaming landscape for several years. This would only be evident in titles currently going through the vocal recording and performance capture stages of development. Such anticipation raised questions regarding the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI.
Kotaku received an official statement from Take-Two Interactive, (parent company of Rockstar Games), asserting that Grand Theft Auto VI will not be impacted by the industrial action.
A representative from Take-Two asserted, "I can confirm that GTA VI is exempt."
This immunity does not necessarily stem from the completion of all collaborations with SAG-AFTRA members on the project. Still, it is also acknowledged in the SAG-AFTRA database that GTA VI remains a project open for contributions, noting, "any game already underway prior to September 2023 is likewise exempt."
This indicates that a number of future releases, even those expected in 2025, 2026, or potentially up to 2027 and later, including titles such as The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2.0 from CD Projekt Red, which have been in the works for some time, could remain unaffected by the walkouts. This points to the possibility that repercussions from the action may not become apparent till much later.