Riot Games has issued a statement on social media saying, “League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release.” The developer noted that it has instructed Formosa Interactive to only use union talent on the game and that it has never permitted Formosa to cancel a game it has registered with them. Also, in an email to The Verge, Riot spokesperson Joe Hixson clarified that neither the upcoming Worlds tournament nor Arcane season two will be affected by the strike as they are not projects governed by the interactive media agreement.
Formosa Interactive is a support studio that offers assistance to other game developers in a range of disciplines, including art, production, sound design, voiceover, and more. According to SAG-AFTRA, the studio attempted to cancel one of its games after the strike began in July. When that was unsuccessful, SAG-AFTRA claims that Formosa then secretly transferred the game to what the union described as a shell company and subsequently put out casting calls exclusively for non-union talent.
In response, SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Formosa Interactive and added the studio’s highest profile game — League of Legends — to the union’s struck games list.
“To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator. “Formosa will be held accountable, starting with an immediate strike of League of Legends.”
The video game strike began on July 26th after SAG-AFTRA and a bargaining committee of video game publishers — of which Formosa Interactive is a member — failed to reach an agreement for a new interactive media contract. According to SAG-AFTRA, the bargaining committee refused to extend AI protections to voice and motion performers, while the publishers argued that the terms they offered were fair.
The Verge has reached out to Formosa Interactive for comment.
Update, September 24th: Added a statement from Riot Games.
