As
the
video
game
voice
actor
strike
continues,
SAG-AFTRA
has
added
League
of
Legends
to
its
list
of
struck
video
games.
The
union
organization,
consisting
of
over
160,000
members,
also
filed
an
unfair
labor
complaint
against
Formosa
Interactive,
one
of
the
support
studios
that
worked
on
the
game.
Riot
Games
has
issued
a
statement
on
social
media
saying,
“League
of
Legends
has
nothing
to
do
with
the
complaint
mentioned
in
SAG-AFTRA’s
press
release.”
The
developer
noted
that
it
has
instructed
Formosa
Interactive
to
only
use
union
talent
on
the
game
and
that
it
has
never
permitted
Formosa
to
cancel
a
game
it
has
registered
with
them.
Also,
in
an
email
to
The
Verge,
Riot
spokesperson
Joe
Hixson
clarified
that
neither
the
upcoming
Worlds
tournament
nor
Arcane
season
two
will
be
affected
by
the
strike
as
they
are
not
projects
governed
by
the
interactive
media
agreement.
Formosa
Interactive
is
a
support
studio
that
offers
assistance
to
other
game
developers
in
a
range
of
disciplines,
including
art,
production,
sound
design,
voiceover,
and
more.
According
to
SAG-AFTRA,
the
studio
attempted
to
cancel
one
of
its
games
after
the
strike
began
in
July.
When
that
was
unsuccessful,
SAG-AFTRA
claims
that
Formosa
then
secretly
transferred
the
game
to
what
the
union
described
as
a
shell
company
and
subsequently
put
out
casting
calls
exclusively
for
non-union
talent.
In
response,
SAG-AFTRA
has
filed
an
unfair
labor
complaint
with
the
National
Labor
Relations
Board
(NLRB)
against
Formosa
Interactive
and
added
the
studio’s
highest
profile
game
—
League
of
Legends
—
to
the
union’s
struck
games
list.
“To
commit
illegal
unfair
labor
practices
is
beyond
the
pale
and
won’t
be
tolerated
by
SAG-AFTRA
members,”
said Duncan
Crabtree-Ireland,
SAG-AFTRA’s
national
executive
director
and
chief
negotiator.
“Formosa
will
be
held
accountable,
starting
with
an
immediate
strike
of
League
of
Legends.”
The
video
game
strike
began
on
July
26th
after
SAG-AFTRA
and
a
bargaining
committee
of
video
game
publishers
—
of
which
Formosa
Interactive
is
a
member
—
failed
to
reach
an
agreement
for
a
new
interactive
media
contract.
According
to
SAG-AFTRA,
the
bargaining
committee
refused
to
extend
AI
protections
to
voice
and
motion
performers,
while
the
publishers
argued
that
the
terms
they
offered
were
fair.
The
Verge
has
reached
out
to
Formosa
Interactive
for
comment.
Update,
September
24th:
Added
a
statement
from
Riot
Games.
(Originally posted by Ash Parrish)
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