Developer Supergiant Video games is dealing with scrutiny immediately over a doable dispute between it and actor Marin M. Miller, the voice of Athena in Hades and Hades II. Earlier immediately, Miller posted on Bluesky that their function could also be “recast” by the studio following its alleged resolution to not signal the SAG-AFTRA voice actor’s interim settlement. The submit didn’t title Supergiant Video games straight, however in a observe up submit they wrote that it might be “SUPER useful” if their followers wrote a “GIANT e mail” asking the studio to “flip” for his or her actors.
Now Supergiant Video games has responded, saying it has not re-cast any characters in Hades II, that it hopes to maintain working with its “great forged.”
This dispute echoes our December 2024 reporting on the same battle between Name of Obligation Black Ops 6 developer Activision and the forged of the sport’s Zombies marketing campaign. In each instances, it has been alleged that the studio declined to replace their contracts with actors below the SAG-AFTRA interim settlement, and in consequence the unique actors will not be reprising their roles.
However there are key variations between the 2 casting disputes. Activision is a member of the interactive media bargaining group, a set of studios that collective discount with the union to forged SAG-AFTRA members of their video games. In its assertion, Supergiant Video games says none of its video games have been made below SAG-AFTRA contracts.
If Miller had been initially forged below a non-union contract and was requesting the studio re-up them below an interim SAG-AFTRA contract, that will be a unique state of affairs than the one Black Ops 6 actors confronted final yr.
Who protects voice actors from AI and contract violations?
In follow-up posts on Bluesky, Miller supplied additional perception on why they may flip down a contract from a non-union consumer even when that consumer presents strong protections in opposition to utilizing their voice for generative AI. They defined that as a union member, they obtain authorized safety from SAG-AFTRA that may go after any firm that decides to violate the phrases of a contract. “I am unable to afford a lawyer with out the union,” they said.
If Miller signed a non-union settlement with a studio that promised to not use their voice for generative AI, however the studio circled and did so anyway, they would wish to pay out of pocket for a lawyer to battle the case.
To be clear, Miller doesn’t accuse Supergiant of trying to make use of generative AI, and Supergiant vociferously shot down the concept that it might use AI expertise. “Our video games are deliberately made by human beings; no generative AI is getting used within the creation of the voiceover, art work, or every other content material that goes into them,” it wrote. “We provide the strongest AI protections within the trade to our expertise, as we expect their work is irreplaceable.”
For now Miller and the corporate seem like at a standstill. The actor said that they may solely work on tasks signed to a SAG-AFTRA interim settlement, and Supergiant said that it “[respects] and can proceed to respect any actor needing to pause work through the ongoing SAG-AFTRA online game strike.”
“Whereas none of our video games have ever been topic to SAG-AFTRA contracts for quite a lot of causes, we want SAG-AFTRA the most effective of their negotiations to compel bigger signatory studios to supply the sorts of protections we expect actors deserve,” it added.
It is unclear at the moment if every other Hades II forged members have made related requests of the corporate. When reached for remark, Supergiant directed Recreation Developer to its assertion posted on social media.
We have reached out to Miller for his or her response, and can replace this story upon their reply.
