SAG-AFTRA has initiated a strike against the video game League of Legends, leading to all union voice actors being required to halt work on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union has also filed an unfair labor practice charge against Formosa Interactive, a company that provides voiceover services for League of Legends, with the National Labor Relations Board. Formosa Interactive was among several high-profile video game companies targeted by voice acting talent in an earlier strike this year. SAG-AFTRA is actively negotiating with developers to secure safeguards against AI replicas of its members. Allegations have been made by the union that Formosa Interactive attempted to “cancel” a game covered by the strike, transferring it to a shell company and seeking non-union talent only. League of Legends is just one of the titles involving Formosa Interactive’s services, which include voiceover work, facial capture, sound design, and mixing for games like God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. Riot Games has responded to the strike by asserting that League of Legends is not connected to the allegations raised by SAG-AFTRA and that the game has consistently engaged Union performers in the US through Formosa. Riot Games denies any involvement in canceling games or hiring non-union talent, clarifying that these allegations pertain to a non-Riot game and are unrelated to League of Legends or any other games from the company. An update on September 24, 2024, at 5:47 PM ET included a statement from Riot Games.
