The SAG-AFTRA union has issued a "do not work" order against the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override.
"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'."
"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.
"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."
Diskin referenced that strike in his announcement, writing, "I don't think it makes sense to strike for over 11 months to get enforceable AI abuse protections and then turn right around and go back to work without them." He also said he offered to work on a lower-budget contract if Capcom would agree to doing the game under the union, but it refused.
"It's been an honor voicing Mega Man in Mega Man 11, the best-selling game in the series' history and watching Mega Man reclaim his rightful place as a gaming icon," Diskin concluded. "I hope Mega Man: Dual Override is even more successful than 11 and that everyone enjoys all the hard work the devs are putting into it."
Posted by ControlCAD