SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board.
Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games.
Today, the union that Formosa attempted to “cancel” a game that was included in the strike. “When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for “non-union” talent only,” according to the press statement. “SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law – that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers.”
League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
We have reached out to Riot Games for a statement about its work with Formosa and will update if we hear from the studio.
