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.