Riot claims that the anti-AI voice actors strike by SAG-AFTRA has extended to League of Legends.

SAG-AFTRA - a union representing over 160,000 professionals in the acting and performance fields - has now struck after threatening to do it back in July. The strike is aimed at AI-generated voice work, which, according to the union, requires "fair and reasonable AI protections". This, they claim, will prevent future talent exploitation by preventing voice actors from being cajoled into agreeing to allow companies to use their voices in perpetuity.

SAG-AFTRA announced on Tuesday that League of Legends was now part of the list of videogames on strike. "SAG-AFTRA Members must immediately cease to provide covered services to League of Legends, and the game will appear in the search function of the union as a striking game."

The League strike doesn't really target Riot Games but Formosa Interactive. This production company works with multiple studios to create different games, including Helldivers 2, God of War Ragnarok and Death Stranding. SAG-AFTRA claims that Formosa attempted to subvert the strike, by "'cancelling' one of its strike videogames shortly before the start of SAG-AFTRA videogame strike. When they were told this was not possible, Formosa secretly transferred the videogame to a shell-company and sent out casting announcements for "NON-UNION" talent only."

The union argues that these are "egregious" violations of the core tenets in labour law, which state that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form a union or join one, and they cannot discriminate between union performers.

Riot took Twitter to defend their innocence, writing "League of Legends does not have anything to do with the complaint that SAG-AFTRA released in its press release."

"We want to make it clear: Since becoming a union-project five years ago, League of Legends only asked Formosa for engagement with Union performers in the US. We have never suggested anything else. We've also never asked Formosa cancel a registered game. SAG-AFTRA’s press release makes several allegations about a non-Riot-game and hiring non-union talent. These allegations have nothing to do either with League or our games.

Riot's actual level of innocence is murkier. Linsay Rousseau is a voice actor who is participating in this strike. She writes: "To be fair @riotgames has been on strike for two months and they have had the opportunity to negotiate with the union." But they haven’t seemed to be interested in protecting their actor from AI." Rousseau clarified this in a separate Twitter: "We encourage @riotgames sign directly with the Union and keep League recording."

What about Formosa? It denies the allegations flatly: "We reject SAGAFTRA's accusations and have not acted to undermine employee or Union rights, nor have we acted to undermine our relationship with the union. We do not believe that the strike of League of Legends is appropriate, as the game has nothing to do with the union's allegations. We stand with developers, publishers and platform holders to support global gaming in a safe and ethical way for all."

It's a bit messy. I'm not going shed tears for Riot, but it must be frustrating to receive a glancing strike because your vendor is alleged to have engaged in some sketchy anti-union nonsense. The union may have been trying to make a point.

If the allegations are true, Formosa has shown that it is willing to go to any lengths to avoid negotiating SAG-AFTRA. League of Legends wasn't to blame, but if Riot signed directly with the union (and potentially lost Formosa a lucrative client), it would be a good way to exert leverage.

We'll have to wait and see if this works out. Maybe we'll hear more bizarre excuses, like the CEO of Amazon Games claiming that videogames don't "really" have acting.