SAG-AFTRA has introduced a video game agreement for pre-funding pitches, allowing creators to use professional actors earlier in development.
The Pre-Funding Pitch Interactive Media Agreement covers demos, vertical slices, trailers, teasers, sizzle reels, and playable prototypes.
Projects eligible for the agreement can’t currently have more than 30% of initial production funding secured or appear to be complete.
The union also states that projects released through crowdfunding are not eligible. They also can’t be commercially released or made available to the public for gameplay.
SAG-AFTRA notes that if a project meets one but not all of its requirements, developers “may be eligible to seek a waiver from the union.”
“The Pre-Funding Pitch Interactive Media Agreement streamlines the hiring of professional union talent, and that can help give devs that extra edge to get the backing they need in an extremely competitive industry,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director and CEO Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin added: “This agreement allows developers to up their game by bringing in professional voice and motion performance talent earlier in the process to create a higher-quality product, with the goal of capturing both imaginations and funding.”
Last year, SAG-AFTRA issued two agreements that let union members work with students and game jams during strike action.
SAG-AFTRA went on strike for 11 months between 2024 and 2025 after failing to reach an agreement with several publishers and developers on compensation, unregulated AI use, and safety.
The union then introduced the Interactive Media Agreement, which included pay increases, health and retirement contributions, and AI safety guardrails.