SAG-AFTRA calls for a strike against League of Legends

As the video game voice actor strike continues, SAG-AFTRA has added League of Legends to its list of struck video games. The union organization, consisting of over 160,000 members, also filed an unfair labor complaint against Formosa Interactive, one of the support studios that worked on the game.

Riot Games has issued a statement on social media saying, “League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release.” The developer noted that it has instructed Formosa Interactive to only use union talent on the game and that it has never permitted Formosa to cancel a game it has registered with them. Also, in an email to The Verge, Riot spokesperson Joe Hixson clarified that neither the upcoming Worlds tournament nor Arcane season two will be affected by the strike as they are not projects governed by the interactive media agreement.

Formosa Interactive is a support studio that offers assistance to other game developers in a range of disciplines, including art, production, sound design, voiceover, and more. According to SAG-AFTRA, the studio attempted to cancel one of its games after the strike began in July. When that was unsuccessful, SAG-AFTRA claims that Formosa then secretly transferred the game to what the union described as a shell company and subsequently put out casting calls exclusively for non-union talent.

In response, Formosa Interactive senior vice president Paul Lipson said, “We fully reject SAG-AFTRA’s allegations and have not acted in any manner to undermine employee or union rights, nor our relationship with the union. We believe the strike of League of Legends, a game unrelated to the union’s claims, is not appropriate. We stand with developers, publishers, platform holders, and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all.”

In response, SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Formosa Interactive and added the studio’s highest profile game — League of Legends — to the union’s struck games list.

“To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator. “Formosa will be held accountable, starting with an immediate strike of League of Legends.”

The video game strike began on July 26th after SAG-AFTRA and a bargaining committee of video game publishers — of which Formosa Interactive is a member — failed to reach an agreement for a new interactive media contract. According to SAG-AFTRA, the bargaining committee refused to extend AI protections to voice and motion performers, while the publishers argued that the terms they offered were fair.

Update, September 25th: Added statements from Riot Games and Formosa Interactive.