Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has claimed that in the event of a video game actors’ strike, the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game (unofficially known as GTA 6) would be "completely protected."
Overnight, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers (AMPTP), ending the Hollywood strike action (via the BBC). However, back in September, SAG-AFTRA voted in favor of authorizing a strike on the Interactive Media Agreement, which covers members’ work on video games. The issues that are being negotiated include wages and protections surrounding the use of AI, but it’s not yet known if a strike will actually go ahead.
As VGC reports, Zelnick was asked during a Take-Two earnings call yesterday (on November 8) if a voice and motion capture actors’ strike would slow down the production of the next GTA game, and if Rockstar has "employment contracts that would allow the actors to work through" a potential strike.
To this, Zelnick responded: "Negotiations are expected to resume next week. We’re optimistic, we value all of our talent greatly, we value excellent labor relations and we’re looking forward to reaching an agreement that serves everyone well."
He continued: "That’s always been my approach. I’ve been involved with labor negotiations in every entertainment industry there is in my career and they’ve always worked out just fine. In the event that they don’t work out just fine, we are completely protected."
Yesterday, it was officially confirmed by Rockstar Games that the first trailer for the upcoming GTA game will be unveiled in “early December,” ending 21 months of speculation over when the game would be shown off. Being one of the most exciting upcoming games on the horizon, it’s safe to say that hype has now reached fever pitch.
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