Apex Legends voice actors are refusing to work in light of a new contract clause demanding they “give up all rights to [their] voices.”
The emergence of AI-generated content within the video game industry has been a major topic throughout the last year.
Take Call of Duty developers Activision, for instance, who just came under fire for finally admitting that they used AI for art and assets, and they’re not the only company to be called out for doing so.
The use of AI in voice acting for video games has been a significant talking point too. EA has issued a patent for an AI program allowing players to voice their characters, in theory, making paid actors’ jobs obsolete.
Amid this industry-wide shift, Apex Legends voice actors have decided to oppose the emergence of AI content in video games; the whole cast of French voices for the multiplayer title refusing to “endorse AI.”
Apex Legends voice actors speak out against use of AI
Pascale Chemin, the French voice of Wraith in Apex Legends, posted a statement on Instagram (translated to English) revealing that actors were sent an email with a new contract they were required to sign before recording more content for the game.
“At first glance, they are unacceptable, which aligns with the opinion of my specialized audiovisual lawyer,” Chemin detailed in the post, tagging all other French VAs for the game.
After voicing Wraith for six years, Chemin admitted that they feel “forced” to “give up” the role but further noted that despite their decision, they were not expecting the rest of the cast “to do the same.”
Almost immediately after Chemin spoke out against this addendum, the rest of the cast expressed their support and hoped that “an agreement will be reached between the recording studio, the broadcaster, and the publisher before recording begins.”
“We have already witnessed this kind of abuse in the past. We are being asked to agree to give up all rights to our voices, with no guarantee of limited use. We are being asked to endorse AI,” the joint statement further noted.
What’s more, they revealed that actors in other countries, such as throughout Europe, have also received this addendum regarding the “new law on intellectual property.”
At the time of writing, the Apex Legends development team is yet to speak out regarding this issue. However, given the whole French voice acting team has made a stand, it’s only a matter of time before the matter is resolved and an outcome is reached..
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