Work comes to a standstill AI strike in the gaming industry - what does this mean for blockbusters like "GTA 6"?

Countless release postponements are looming in the games industry. The background to this is a strike by voice actors. What's behind it?

Last year, members of the US actors' union SAG-AFTRA walked off the job for 118 days before reaching an agreement with the film studios. Now the same union is planning a work stoppage that could have a massive impact on the games industry.

With effect from July 26, the SAG-AFTA (short for: Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) has called on voice actors from its ranks to stop working. More than 160,000 voice actors who work for developer studios such as EA, Disney, Insomniac Games, WB Games, Activision and Take 2 Interactive are affected.

Will the strike also affect "GTA VI"?

Insiders fear that this protest measure could also delay the release of eagerly awaited titles such as Rockstar Games' "GTA VI". The studio is part of the publisher Take 2 Interactive - and the voice recordings for the gangster epic are reportedly not yet complete. The release is currently still scheduled for fall 2025.

The strike will also have an impact on other studios and publishers, as the games need the dubbed voices in order to be released. Only a swift agreement with the opposing parties could prevent these delays.

In addition to the demands for better working conditions and pay rises, the strike is also motivated by a fair position for voice actors on the use of AI in the entertainment industry. The association fears that the increasing use of AI technology in the use of voices in games and films could jeopardize the jobs of voice actors. After all, AI tools are now able to use short voice samples to imitate the tone of voice actors' sentences. Voice actors are worried that technology could increasingly take over their jobs.