A leading voice acting studio in the UK has reached an agreement with Equity, the trade union for performing arts and entertainment workers, to support voice actors working in the games industry.
Specifically, the first of its kind agreement sets out minimum fees and conditions of engagement for voice actors. The hope is that other studios will follow suit.
OMUK, the UK-based studio responsible for the agreement, has credits in the likes of Horizon Zero Dawn, Demon’s Souls, horror games The Medium and Blair Witch, and the Telltale Game of Thrones series.
The multi-billion pound UK video game industry is one of the biggest employers of performance talent in the country, but until now no agreement was in place to protect workers.
The agreement, which runs until April 2023, includes commitments to provide voice actors with specific information ahead of, or at the time of, the audition or offer. That includes potentially sensitive content (for instance if it’s sexual, racist, or violent in nature); if it includes profanities; accents required; plus details on the project including publisher/developer, budget classification, hours and dates of recording.
Voice actors must also be told about potential vocal stress, with a minimum of five-minute rest times per hour mandated.
In terms of fees, game projects will be classified as ‘standard’ (budget of over £5m), ‘indie’ (£0.5m to £5m) and ‘micro’ (under £0.5m), with minimum fees set according to each budget (£300 per hour for standard, £200 per hour for indie, £175 per hour for micro).
Other terms of the agreement include overtime, late fees for overdue payments, and inclusion in game credits.
“I am deeply grateful for the dedication of the voice actors who took the initiative and did the legwork that kickstarted the necessary consultation between industry producers, Equity and the agents,” said Mark Estdale, voice director and managing director of OMUK.