SAG-AFTRA Strikes League Of Legends Due To “Secret” Shell Company

SAG-AFTRA is striking League of Legends, claiming that Formosa Inc.–the studio from which Riot Games sources voiced content–is guilty of committing “a flagrant violation of labor law.” The union has responded by filing an unfair labor practice charge against Formosa. Meanwhile, Riot, the developer of League of Legends, says Formosa’s alleged actions do not involve LoL or any other Riot game.

So what did Formosa do to upset the guild this much? SAG-AFTRA’s latest press release alleges that Formosa tried to cancel one of its struck games. (Currently, struck projects cannot proceed with voice acting or motion-capture work until the strike ends.) Formosa was allegedly told that canceling the game couldn’t be done, and–according to SAG-AFTRA–got around this obstacle by quietly transferring the game to a shell company before proceeding to send out casting notices, which were specifically seeking non-union talent.

“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’ rights under labor law,” the guild said via a statement released on its website. “In light of Formosa’s unfair labor practices, SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Director, with the advice and consent of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee, has called a strike of League of Legends, one of the company’s most high-profile games. SAG-AFTRA members must immediately cease providing covered services to League of Legends and the game will be updated on the union’s search function as a struck game.”

Members of the guild who work in the games industry–primarily voice actors and motion-capture performers–are currently striking over AI-related concerns, and named Formosa Interactive as one of 10 major gaming companies it was negotiating with when the strike began in late July. Known as the collective bargaining group, other companies at the bargaining table include Activision Productions Inc., Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions, WB Games Inc., and more.

“League of Legends is a game of champions,” SAG-AFTRA interactive media agreement negotiating committee chair Sarah Elmaleh said. “Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them. Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory. And such regrettable choices are unnecessary when our union committee and staff are as collaborative and excited to create protected work as our performers love to collaborate with game makers, and love this work.”

The strike is notable in part because League of Legends was previously declared exempt from the strike, allowing its guild-associated voice and motion-capture performers to continue their work on the game.

In a statement shared with GameSpot, a Riot spokesperson 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.”

At the time of writing, neither a spokesperson representing the collective bargaining group nor Formosa have responded or made any official statement regarding SAG-AFTRA’s latest move. SAG-AFTRA, however, has followed up its official statement with a tweet that simply reads, “We’re not LOLing about LoL.”