Game actor strike averted as unions concede over residuals

A threatened strike by actors who perform voiceover roles in videogames has been averted at the eleventh hour after the two unions representing the actors dropped their demand for residual payments from game revenues.

The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had planned to count votes on the strike today, but instead agreed a deal with videogame publishers late last night.

The new deal is a 3 and a half year agreement which includes a 36 per cent pay rise for voice acting work - with a 25 per cent rise applicable immediately - and a number of smaller concessions such as higher contributions such as a 7.5 per cent rise in contributions to union benefit plans and a decrease in the payment window from 30 to 12 days.

Notably absent from the deal, however, is any mention of the contentious issue of residuals - effectively royalty payments for the actors based on sales of the game - which were at the heart of the dispute between the unions and the publishers.

In what's likely to be seen as a major victory for the games industry, the question of residuals was dropped entirely by the unions, paving the way for a new deal based on far less major concessions.

The deal has yet to be ratified by both unions, but once approved, will take effect from next month and run through to December 2008.

Kotaku