SAG-AFTRA calls strike against League of Legends, files unfair labour practice against Formosa

Update: Riot Games says it has "nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA's press release."

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Riot Games said:

"League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release.

"We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise.

"In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA’s press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games."

Original story follows.

Original story: The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has called a strike against League of Legends after claims Formosa Interactive "tried to subvert the video game strike."

In a statement, the union said it believes actions by the company Formosa Interactive - which provides art and audio services to a host of AAA studios - "to be a flagrant violation of labour law and has filed an unfair labour practice charge against the company with the National Labour Relations Board."

"The complaint comes after Formosa tried to 'cancel' one of its struck video games shortly after the start of SAG-AFTRA's video game strike," the union says.

"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."

SAG-AFTRA says it charges "that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labour law - that employers cannot interfere with performers' rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers."

"The unilateral and surreptitious transfer of union work to a non-union shell company is an impermissible and appalling attempt to evade a strike action and destroy performers' right under labour law," the union concluded.

"It’s bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair A.I. terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," said national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

"To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members. Formosa will be held accountable, starting with an immediate strike of League of Legends."

SAG-AFTRA voted to strike at the end of July after it failed to reach an agreement with the convenience bargaining group over rights and protection concerns raised by the industry's exploration of AI technologies.

Performers union SAG-AFTRA has secured agreements with the developers behind 80 upcoming games as it continues to strike over better conditions for actors, including protection against the use of AI.