TheRetroArcade
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The SAG-AFTRA union has issued a "do not work" order against the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override.
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Veteran voice actor Ben Diskin, who provided the voice of Mega Man in the 2018 release Mega Man 11, says he won't be returning to the series because Capcom refuses to use unionized voice actors.
Diskin isn't the original or only voice of Mega Man, but Mega Man 11 is both the most recent and best selling entry in the game series. That naturally made him the presumptive choice for the character in the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override, which is expected out in 2027, and so his withdrawal comes as a surprise.
"With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man," Diskin wrote today on Bluesky. "I was asked to return for Mega Man: Dual Override, but only on the condition I work without the protections of a union contract.
"I was told there are 'full AI protections in place that guarantee in writing that [my] voice will never be used for AI development' but was also told 'with certainty, from [Capcom], that the project will not go union'."
Diskin's statement comes the day after the SAG-AFTRA union issued a "Do Not Work" order (via Rockman Corner) for Mega Man: Dual Override, saying Capcom "has failed to initiate the signatory process" that must be completed before the union will authorize its members to begin working on a project. The union warned that any members who do work on the game while the order is in place may face disciplinary action.
The bigger issue for Diskin, though, is that while Capcom has promised that "AI protections" will be in place, there's no way for him, as an individual, to hold it to those terms.
"The only way to enforce non-union contracts like this involves personally taking giant companies like Capcom to court and suing if I thought they'd used AI. I don't have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight," Diskin wrote.
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"In my heart, I want to believe Capcom would never use AI... But in my HEAD, I'm aware that basically every major corporation is looking to incorporate generative AI to save money. The video game industry is facing record layoffs and huge amounts of uncertainty. I need a union contract to feel safe."
The rise of generative AI, and its embrace by some g...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
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Every Thursday
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Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
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Veteran voice actor Ben Diskin, who provided the voice of Mega Man in the 2018 release Mega Man 11, says he won't be returning to the series because Capcom refuses to use unionized voice actors.
Diskin isn't the original or only voice of Mega Man, but Mega Man 11 is both the most recent and best selling entry in the game series. That naturally made him the presumptive choice for the character in the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override, which is expected out in 2027, and so his withdrawal comes as a surprise.
"With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man," Diskin wrote today on Bluesky. "I was asked to return for Mega Man: Dual Override, but only on the condition I work without the protections of a union contract.
"I was told there are 'full AI protections in place that guarantee in writing that [my] voice will never be used for AI development' but was also told 'with certainty, from [Capcom], that the project will not go union'."
Diskin's statement comes the day after the SAG-AFTRA union issued a "Do Not Work" order (via Rockman Corner) for Mega Man: Dual Override, saying Capcom "has failed to initiate the signatory process" that must be completed before the union will authorize its members to begin working on a project. The union warned that any members who do work on the game while the order is in place may face disciplinary action.
The bigger issue for Diskin, though, is that while Capcom has promised that "AI protections" will be in place, there's no way for him, as an individual, to hold it to those terms.
"The only way to enforce non-union contracts like this involves personally taking giant companies like Capcom to court and suing if I thought they'd used AI. I don't have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight," Diskin wrote.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
"In my heart, I want to believe Capcom would never use AI... But in my HEAD, I'm aware that basically every major corporation is looking to incorporate generative AI to save money. The video game industry is facing record layoffs and huge amounts of uncertainty. I need a union contract to feel safe."
The rise of generative AI, and its embrace by some g...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?