ERTS Electronic Arts Inc. (MM)

By Sarah E. Needleman 

A union representing thousands of voiceover actors has called for a strike against 11 videogame companies, including industry powerhouses Electronic Arts Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., over a pay dispute.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Arts, or SAG-AFTRA, has been negotiating terms for a new contract with a coalition of nine videogame companies for nearly two years. The union represents actors, whose voices and likenesses are pervasive in videogames.

For example, Take-Two's hit series "Grand Theft Auto" has included the voices of actors Gary Busey, Burt Reynolds and other Hollywood stars. "Call of Duty" games from Activision Blizzard Inc., another major publisher the union is striking against, have also included the voices of actors such as Heather Graham and Kit Harington. Lesser-known actors also fill key roles in games, some of which feature episodic story lines that have been adapted for movies, television series and books.

At the heart of the disagreement is actors' demands for a portion of the revenue from game sales, on top of the industry's standard average baseline rate of about $825 for a four-hour session.

"Secondary compensation is what allows professional performers to feed their families in between jobs," said a spokeswoman for SAG-AFTRA in a prepared statement.

Members will picket Electronic Arts on Monday at its Los Angeles studio, according to a release issued early Friday morning confirming the strike is on.

Scott J. Witlin, an attorney for the publishers' coalition, said they had offered additional pay beyond the standard hourly rate, tied to the number of recording sessions an actor completes and not a game's sales performance.

"We are disappointed," Mr. Witlin said. "Anytime any workers go on strike it's disruptive."

SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members, including about 5,000 who specialize in videogame voice-over and other acting-related work. It is unclear how many are participating in the strike, which SAG-AFTRA has been promoting on Twitter and other social media.

"Given the long production cycle for a console game, the strike would have to go on for a very long time for it to have an impact," Mr. Witlin said.

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 23, 2016 14:21 ET (18:21 GMT)

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