Hollywood unions stand firm over ongoing pay dispute

Following the breakdown of talks between US games publishers and Hollywood acting unions, two key players in the dispute are consulting their members on the possibility of strike action.

Both the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists began sending out ballot papers on Tuesday.

SAG requires a "super-majority" agreement from 75 per cent of its 1900 members, while 66.7 per cent of AFTRA's 1000-strong membership needs to consent before a strike can be formally authorised.

The dispute first began last December, following the expiration of a previous contract between publishers and unions.

The unions are asking for residuals on all games featuring their voices and/or likenesses which sell more than 400,000 units, following the model currently in place for film and TV work.

However, publishers want to continue with the system of offering actors one-off upfront payments.

"AFTRA deeply regrets the producers' intrasigence in being unwilling to acknowledge the significant contributions of our members to this exploding and profitable sector of the entertainment industry," said union president John P. Connolly.

"To deny working class performers their fair share of the tremendous profits their labour helps to generate is illogical, unreasonable and unjust."

There use of Hollywood talent in games has become a growing trend recent years, with the likes of Al Pacino and Charlize Theron lending their likenesses to movie tie-ins. Electronic Arts' forthcoming Godfather title will see James Caan and Robert Duvall reprising their film roles, and Marlon Brando also recorded dialogue for the game before he died.

As yet there is no indication as to which way the union votes are likely to go, but full results are expected on June 7.