Video game actors in the US have ended their strike after nearly a year of industrial action, over the use of artificial intelligence by game studios.
More than 2,500 US performers were barred from working on games impacted by the strike while the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) negotiated a deal with studios.
Now, after more than 11 months of discussions, a “tentative” agreement has been reached.
“Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary AI guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the AI age, alongside other important gains,” said SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
Actors were banned from working with major game makers like Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa, Insomniac Games, Take 2 and WB Games.
Image: Demonstrators at the picket line outside Warner Bros Studios in August 2024. File pic: AP
Other studios were also impacted by the strike, as actors took industrial action in solidarity.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative contract agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in video games,” said Audrey Cooling, spokesperson for the video game producers, to Sky News.
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“It delivers historic wage increases of over 24% for performers, enhanced health and safety protections, and industry-leading AI provisions requiring transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games.”
In the UK, actors protested in solidarity with their American counterparts, while Equity, the UK actors’ union, called for a similar wide-reaching agreement between UK studios and actors.
Earlier this week, the British Film Institute (BFI) released a report detailing the risks posed by AI to the UK screen sector, including video games, and described it as a “direct threat”.
The scripts of more than 130,000 films and TV shows, YouTube videos, and databases of pirated books have been used to train AI models, according to the report.
Image: Equity members protest outside the BAFTA Games Awards 2025. Pic: Mark Thomas
AI poses a particular threat to some video game voice actors, according to one expert, because of the nature of their work creating animal or monster sound effects.
“The generic stuff is the easiest thing for generative AI to replace,” Video Games Industry Memo author George Osborn told Sky News previously.
“Just saying to the model, ‘make 200 monster noises’ is much easier than convincingly [making AI] sound like it is having a conversation with someone,” he said.
Unlike the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike in 2023, which saw blockbusters like Deadpool 3 and Gladiator 2 delayed and entire TV series cancelled, huge delays to games were unlikely.
Games take years to make and any game already in development before September 2023 was exempt from the strike.
Tensions have risen in the game actor community since the industrial action began, as studios appeared to hire international actors to replace the striking US workers.
Oasis are set to kick off their reunion tour in Cardiff this weekend, with thousands expected to descend on the Welsh capital.
The 41-date Oasis Live 25 tour begins in the city on Friday and Saturday, amid warnings for people to plan ahead before they travel.
The Gallagher brothers’ last performance together was in 2009, and the tour sold out within hours of its announcement last August, with fans eager to catch a glimpse of the reunion.
But where is the tour heading – and why was Cardiff chosen as the city where the brothers will perform for the first time together in almost 16 years?
Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales – Friday 4 July
Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales – Saturday 5 July
Heaton Park, Manchester, England – Friday 11 July
Heaton Park, Manchester, England – Saturday 12 July
Heaton Park, Manchester, England – Wednesday 16 July
Heaton Park, Manchester, England – Saturday 19 July
Heaton Park, Manchester, England – Sunday 20 July
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Friday 25 July
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Saturday 26 July
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Wednesday 30 July
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Saturday 2 August
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Sunday 3 August
Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland – Friday 8 August
Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland – Saturday 9 August
Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland – Tuesday 12 August
Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland – Saturday 16 August
Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland – Sunday 17 August
Toronto, Canada – Sunday 24 August
Toronto, Canada – Monday 25 August
Chicago, USA – Thursday 28 August
East Rutherford, USA – Sunday 31 August
East Rutherford, USA – Monday 1 September
Los Angeles, USA – Saturday 6 September
Los Angeles, USA – Sunday 7 September
Mexico City, Mexico – Friday 12 September
Mexico City, Mexico – Saturday 13 September
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Saturday 27 September
Wembley Stadium, London, England – Sunday 28 September
Seoul, South Korea – Tuesday 21 October
Tokyo, Japan – Saturday 25 October
Tokyo, Japan – Sunday 26 October
Melbourne, Australia – Friday 31 October
Melbourne, Australia – Saturday 1 November
Melbourne, Australia – Tuesday 4 November
Sydney, Australia – Friday 7 November
Sydney, Australia – Saturday 8 November
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Saturday 15 November
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Sunday 16 November
Santiago, Chile – Wednesday 19 November
São Paulo, Brazil – Saturday 22 November
São Paulo, Brazil – Sunday 23 November
Image: Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Pic: PA
Why was Cardiff picked as the first stop?
Asked on X in May why Cardiff was chosen as the location for the opening leg, Liam Gallagher said “because Cardiff is the bollox”.
Principality Stadium is a 74,500-seat venue, known as the home of Welsh rugby, which played host to Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift concerts last year.
Businesses in the area are hoping the arrival of Oasis will bring an influx of trade to the city.
Gary Corp, manager of the City Arms, told Sky News that he was expecting the concert would “treble if not quadruple the footfall on the street”.
Meanwhile, Ethan John, events manager at Tiny Rebel, said Oasis choosing Cardiff to kick off their tour was “surreal” and that previous events such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour had a “massive impact” on footfall.
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Train operators say trains will be busy and people should allow plenty of time for their journey home.
Georgie Wills, from Transport for Wales, said the company was “thrilled to welcome thousands to Cardiff this summer”.
“Look out for our queuing systems and travel tips – and let’s make it a safe and smooth experience for everyone,” she added.
Cardiff Council has confirmed that roads around the stadium will close from 12pm until 12am on both Friday and Saturday.
The road closures come into force three hours earlier than is planned for upcoming Stereophonics, Kendrick Lamar and Catfish and the Bottlemen concerts later this summer.
The Cardiff Bus Interchange will close at 3pm and Cardiff Queen Street railway station will close at 10pm (apart from accessible travel or journeys to Cardiff Bay).
Image: Liam Gallagher (left) and Noel Gallagher (right). Pic: PA
What time does the show start and who are the support acts?
Principality Stadium’s doors open at 5pm on both Friday and Saturday.
The band will be supported by indie rock band Cast and Richard Ashcroft (who formed alternative rock band the Verve) in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin.
Cast start their Cardiff set at 6pm, followed by Richard Ashcroft at 7pm.
Oasis will take to the stage at 8.15pm, and should finish by 10.30pm.
American rock band Cage the Elephant will support Oasis in Canada, Mexico and at the Chicago gig.
They will be joined again by Cast for the East Rutherford and Pasadena dates.
Australian indie rock band Ball Park Music will support in Australia.
Are tickets still available for the shows?
The tour is sold out, but the band has said it is possible some additional tickets may be released.
In an Instagram post on 25 June, the band advised members of Oasismynet to “keep an eye” on their inbox.
The final releases would come “over the coming days” once production was “fine tuned”, the band said.
Listening to Noel Gallagher over the years, for a long time it didn’t feel like this was part of the masterplan.
He has spoken several times of the difficult decision he made to quit Oasis in 2009. The band was his life and the choice not made lightly, but ending things then was the best thing for everyone, he told Sky Arts a few years ago. The fact they didn’t continue was a big part of the reason they are now “up there with all the greats”.
The older Gallagher brother was well aware that the years apart – the brothers’ often funny but frustrating feud, the unanswered question of whether they would ever bury the hatchet and the hope that maybe, one day, it might just happen – all amplified their legend.
Image: The Gallagher brothers got together for this picture in July, their first photograph together in years. Pic: Simon Emmett
Rumours have come and gone over the years, propelled in no small part by messages from Liam Gallagher on social media. He often teased, but never made any secret of wanting to bring Oasis back. The sticking point seemed to be Noel.
Noel created the music; Liam brings it snarlingly, viscerally alive. Him doing those shows alone felt like it could be a death knell for a reunion. When asked about Liam by a fan during one of his shows with his current band, the High Flying Birds, last summer, Noel reportedly said his younger brother should be “thankful for my genius” and told the crowd: “Just remember who wrote all the f***ing songs.”
Image: Pic: Oasis/Michael Spencer Jones
‘They hadn’t spoken in goodness knows how long’
Even last year’s new artwork for Definitely Maybe (pictured above), released for the 30th anniversary, showed a reworking of that famous album cover – shot at guitarist Bonehead’s house in Manchester – this time with the band members absent from the room. With no Liam on the floorboards, no Noel staring up at the spinning globe, it felt like a statement: Oasis really had left the building.
Designer Brian Cannon, who worked on the artwork for all of Oasis’s early music and now runs the Microdot memorabilia stores, says he was as surprised as anyone by the reunion announcement.
“A lot of people say to me, it’s all a big marketing ploy,” he says, of the brothers’ fall-out. “No, it isn’t, they genuinely hadn’t spoken to each other for goodness knows how long. And Noel’s got a very successful solo career that he’s very content with and doing very well. I didn’t see this coming, I really didn’t.”
Photographer Michael Spencer Jones, who captured the images for all the Oasis albums and singles in the band’s heyday, says the sibling rivalry was always there. “It’s such a major part of the potion that was Oasis.”
Image: Noel Gallagher has had success with the High Flying Birds. Pic: Reuters/Dylan Martinez
But there had been whispers for months, reports from industry insiders saying it was only a matter of time. In January 2023, Noel announced his separation from his now ex-wife Sara MacDonald, who did not get on with Liam, leading to speculation he might become more open to making amends.
Then last year, following reports of shows booked for Wembley, fans once again pointed to teases from Liam on social media – “I never did like that word FORMER” he posted in the days before the announcement – and an interview given by Noel in which he spoke in complimentary terms about his little brother’s voice: “When I’d sing a song it would sound good. When he’d sing it, it would sound great.”
Image: Liam Gallagher has been performing as a solo artist for several years. Pic: PA
‘The stars have aligned’ – but statement gives little away
Oasis in their heyday were like no other live band. The shows were electrifying, the energy raw, in an era of optimism and fun in the 1990s that the Gallagher brothers defined. In later years, Noel may not have been a fan of the Cool Britannia tag, but that’s exactly what it was.
So now, will this reunion just be about the gigs? Will there be new music? Could the Gallagher brothers even be friends again?
The reunion statement gave little away. “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.” Further details said there was “no great revelatory moment”, but rather “the gradual realisation that the time is right” – but the Gallaghers have still not really addressed the small matter of not being on speaking terms for years. We want to know who reached out first? How did they finally come to an agreement? And what did their mum, Peggy, say about her sons finally getting their acts together?
Whatever has happened behind the scenes, the frost has definitely thawed. In 2020, Liam said Oasis had been offered £100m to reform – a claim quickly denied by Noel, who suggested the remark was a publicity move to promote a single. The deal they have signed now is worth millions. But even before the announcement was made, Liam was quick to put anyone suggesting this was only about the money in their place.
“Your attitude stinks” was his reply to anyone questioning their motives. Positivity received a different response: “Your attitude is BIBLICAL.”
You only have to look at the crowds at Liam’s solo shows – full of teenagers, as well as those of us who were there the first time round – to see how the music has filtered through generations. The singer has said several times he would like younger fans to see the full Oasis live experience.
Now, they just have to deliver.
“There’s two schools of thoughts on this and at one time I would have fallen into the latter,” says Cannon. “One being: great, yes, fantastic. The second: no, leave it be, let it lie, it’s gone, you might tarnish the past.
“But. We’re living through strange times in this country at the minute, globally as well. There’s a lot of division, recent events have been quite shocking. [A reunion] will undoubtedly bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people and I’m all in favour of a lot of people being happy. So, yeah, it’s got to be a good thing.”
“There should be an album, I think,” says Spencer Jones. “It would be great if there was more music to come.”
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of their second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? Both Noel and Liam will be well aware of the expectation, how much these shows mean to fans.
Get them wrong, and there’s the potential for the legacy, the memories, to be spoiled.
Get them right, and Oasis live forever – all over again.
Actor Michael Madsen, who starred in a number of Quentin Tarantino films, has died at the age of 67, according to Sky’s US partner NBC News.
Chicago-born Madsen died on Thursday morning from cardiac arrest, his manager, Ron Smith said.
He appeared in dozens of films during a career that spanned more than 40 years, with screen credits including Thelma and Louise, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco and Sin City.
But he was well known for his collaborations with Tarantino, who cast him in Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Tributes poured in for Madsen, whose career started in the 80s.
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Captain America co-director Joe Russo posted a picture of Madsen in Reservoir Dogs and said on X: “Michael Madsen ALWAYS had bite. RIP.”
“In the last two years Michael Madsen has been doing some incredible work with independent film including upcoming feature films Resurrection Road, Concessions and Cookbook for Southern Housewives, and was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life,” managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith, and publicist Liz Rodriguez said in a statement.
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“Michael was also preparing to release a new book called Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, currently being edited. Michael Madsen was one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, who will be missed by many.”
Image: Michael Madsen played Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. Pic: THA/Shutterstock
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.