Employees at 2K Games’ Petaluma, California studio have formed the first-ever union for motion-capture performers in the US, called the RPG-IATSE (Rights & Protections for Games Workers arm of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees). Employees initially voted to unionize back in November and have now unanimously ratified their first contract with parent company Take-Two Interactive.
The recently ratified contract guarantees workers a number of protections and benefits, including wage floor minimums and yearly increases, annual bonuses, protected benefits, a framework for promotions, preserved remote work policies, leave allowances, improved crediting for performances, and AI/likeness reproduction protections.
“This agreement shows what workers can achieve when they stand together and bargain for the future of their craft,” IATSE international president Matthew D. Loeb said of the union’s contract (via IATSE). “These workers made history when they organized, and they have made history again by ratifying the first union contract for motion capture video game workers in the United States.”
Earlier this year, SAG-AFTRA members working in the games industry ended a nearly year-long strike and approved an agreement that provided video game performers (including motion-capture performers) with similar protections, including protections against AI. Still, companies like Capcom are pushing back, which led to Mega Man voice actor Ben Diskin stepping away from his starring role in the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override game.