Currently, the SAG-AFTRA strike by video game voice actors protesting on AI voice likenesses threatens disruption of the gaming industry. Nonetheless, due to the wonders that Grand Theft Auto 6 promises, its release that is planned for 2025 will not be impacted.
Surprisingly, GTA 6 is excluded from the strike mainly because it has been in development since August 25, 2023, although it may not have been officially announced by Rockstar Games, the developer of GTA. This also includes the ongoing live service games which are enjoyed under the previous deals. Thus, voice actors may decide not to work on the game in support of the strike, but they cannot be punished for that. It is currently unknown exactly who is in the cast of Rockstar’s voice actors, so the number of the SAG-AFTRA members among them also can not be specified.
Any lateness with GTA 6 should then be attributed to other general issues that may arise in the creation of such a game, not the strike. Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two, has stated his belief in a release by the fall of 2025; nonetheless, these schedules are often adjusted in the field.
Thus, it is still a question whether the strike of the SAG-AFTRA can be considered a starting point for a full-scale strike in the sphere of video games. All the same, GTA 6 fans can relax knowing that the strike will not severely affect the making of the game.