SAG-AFTRA has instructed its members to withhold services from Capcom's Mega Man: Dual Override after the producer failed to initiate the signatory process. The do-not-work order is forcing a recalculation on Capcom's plans for the game, due in 2027. Ben Diskin, who voiced Mega Man in 2018's Mega Man 11, announced he will not be returning because Capcom refused his request to work under a SAG-AFTRA contract.
The stand-off illustrates a fundamental disagreement about labour standards in video game development. Diskin wrote that he was asked to work without union protections despite being told there were full AI protections guaranteeing his voice would never be used for AI development, but he could not risk working without a contract to enforce such promises. Diskin claimed he even offered to work for a lower rate if the job could be done through SAG-AFTRA, but says he was told with certainty that the project will not go union.
This standoff follows a bruising labour conflict that dominated the gaming industry. Union members went on strike for nearly a year, from July 2024 to June 2025. The new agreement includes guardrails around AI use, including consent and disclosure requirements for AI. Yet those terms only apply to games using union talent and contracts, and SAG-AFTRA's do-not-work order will likely mean non-union titles will struggle to attract established voice actors.
Capcom has not publicly addressed the union dispute or Diskin's decision. The company faces a practical problem: while non-union titles are not bound by the new industry agreement, a do-not-work order will prevent established voice actors who already work in the industry from participating. That narrows the talent pool considerably for a franchise revival meant to reach contemporary audiences.
The conflict exposes competing interests in modern game production. Publishers argue that union contracts increase production costs, while voice actors contend that working without union protection leaves them vulnerable to the precise AI misuse that sparked the recent strike. Diskin's decision suggests that for some performers, no amount of directional assurance suffices without enforceable contractual backing. For Capcom, proceeding without union voice talent means proceeding without some of the industry's most recognisable performers.