Neil Newbon is spearheading a new movement for stakeholder recognition in the video game industry: Pixel Pack

Being an actor has never been an easy job, but the last few years have been particularly difficult for workers in the industry, especially as they have had to spend a lot of time defending the very existence of their work in the face of big companies' plans to use AI to replace them on screen, whether in film or video games.

In the case of film, the SAG-AFTRA union organised a strike of screenwriters and actors that held Hollywood in check for many months and later extended to video game actors. However, it seems that in this industry, progress in negotiations has not been as smooth as in the film production companies. And so veteran actor, director and producer Neil Newbon (Game Awards winner and BAFTA nominee for his portrayal of Astarion in Baldur's Gate III) has now founded Pixel Pack, an organisation of video game actors to promote and protect their work as a united front.

Its purpose is not exactly the same as that of a workers' union like SAG-AFTRA, but as a more media-friendly position (which these actors have earned through their talent and their remembered roles) with which to promote their role in the face of the use of AI.

According to Entertaiment Weekly, Newbon has gained the support of such prominent figures as Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), Abubakar Salim (Bayek in Assassin's Creed), Sam Lake (who in addition to his acting roles is the creative director of Remedy Entertainment), Alix Wilton Regan (the "Female Inquisitor" of Dragon Age: Inquisition), performance-capture artist Andi Norris (Donna Benviento in Resident Evil Village), Anjali Bhimani (Symmetra in Overwatch, Rampart in Apex Legends), Ben Starr (Clive in Final Fantasy XVI), Bryan Dechart (Connor in Detroit: Become Human), Fred Tatasciore (Bane in Batman: Arkham Shadow), Maggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, Orin the Red in Baldur's Gate 3), Matthew Mercer (Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil 6, Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), Melina Juergens (newly minted Game Award winner for Senua's Saga: Hellblade II), Melanie Liburd (Saga Anderson in Alan Wake II), Nick Apostolides (Leon in Resident Evil 2 and 4), Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption II), Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker in Marvel's Spider-Man, Ace Ruele (a founder of Creature Bionics), David Menkin (Luke Skywalker of Lego Star Wars, Dag Nithisson in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla), Devora Wilde (Lae'zel in Baldur's Gate 3), Díana Bermudez (the Guardian in Baldur's Gate 3), Doug Cockle (Geralt of The Witcher), BAFTA winner Jane Perry (Diana Burnwood in Hitman, Selene in Returnal), Jennifer English (Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3, Lantenna in Elden Ring), Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard in Mass Effect, Rivet in Ratched and Clank: Rift Apart), Joseph Balderrama (Cody in It Takes Two), Luisa Guerreiro (Caroline Scott-Kenway in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag), and BAFTA-nominated Samantha Béart (Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3).

What do you think of the Pixel Pack initiative?