Update: Marin has confirmed to Game Developer that they declined to continue working with Supergiant after the studio turned down a request to adopt an interim SAG-AFTRA agreement.
Developer Supergiant Games is facing scrutiny today over a possible dispute between it and actor Marin M. Miller, the voice of Athena in Hades and Hades II. Earlier today, Miller posted on Bluesky that their role may be "recast" by the studio following its alleged decision not to sign the SAG-AFTRA voice actor's interim agreement. The post did not name Supergiant Games directly, but in a follow up post they wrote that it would be "SUPER helpful" if their followers wrote a "GIANT email" asking the studio to "flip" for their actors.
Now Supergiant Games has responded, saying it has not re-cast any characters in Hades II, that it hopes to keep working with its "wonderful cast."
After this story's initial publication, Miller confirmed to Game Developer they had declined to continue working with Supergiant Games after the company did not agree to adopt a SAG-AFTRA minimum agreement. "In my perspective, Supergiant has ignored my requests to put them in touch with union reps for years to see if we could get this game covered. I started asking at the end of the last game," Miller said.
According to Miller (who is a member of SAG-AFTRA), they began corresponding with Supergiant in 2024 to discuss reprising their role as Athena. They said in the time since, they faced increasing healthcare costs under their non-union healthcare plan, and are seeking other legal and financial benefits a full-time of Supergiant Games might enjoy (some Supergiant Games employees do voice acting in the company's games), but a non-union contract voice actor would not.
Miller has previously advocated for voice actors to receive SAG-AFTRA benefits in their role on the union's dubbing steering committee, and explained to Game Developer they have experience reaching compromises with employers in the anime dubbing business.
Actor Zeke Alton, who is a member of the SAG-AFTRA voiceover committee negotiating over the ongoing strike, told Game Developer that the union has attempted to reach out to Supergiant Games and talent coordinating partner The HALP Network, but neither have "made an effort" to speak to the union. "I feel that if we were able to communicate with them, we could make it clear that the Union is here to help," he said in a statement. "We’re open to discuss any waivers or exemptions they might need to allow continued use of foreign actors and members of their in-house development team while providing their professional actors with a safe place to work that has enforceable AI protections."
This dispute echoes our December 2024 reporting on a similar conflict between Call of Duty Black Ops 6 developer Activision and the cast of the game's Zombies campaign. In both cases, it's been alleged that the studio declined to update their contracts with actors under the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, and as a result the original actors are not reprising their roles.
But there are key differences between the two casting disputes. Activision is a member of the interactive media bargaining group, a collection of studios that collective bargain with the union to cast SAG-AFTRA members in their games. In its statement, Supergiant Games says none of its games have been made under SAG-AFTRA contracts.
If Miller had been initially cast under a non-union contract and was requesting the studio re-up them under an interim SAG-AFTRA contract, that would be a different situation than the one Black Ops 6 actors faced last year.
In follow-up posts on Bluesky, Miller offered further insight on why they might turn down a contract from a non-union client even if that client offers robust protections against using their voice for generative AI. They explained that as a union member, they receive legal protection from SAG-AFTRA that can go after any company that decides to violate the terms of a contract. "I can't afford a lawyer without the union," they stated.
If Miller signed a non-union agreement with a studio that promised not to use their voice for generative AI, but the studio turned around and did so anyway, they would need to pay out of pocket for a lawyer to fight the case.
In their exchange with Game Developer, Miller elaborated on their concerns over AI usage. "A game of HADES' size and notoriety leaves me vulnerable to AI cloning outside of their ecosystem, and a non-union contract gives me no teeth to enforce it unless I have money," they explained. Supergiant apparently did offer to include a rider stating their voice would not be used for AI, but Miller emphasized that the costs of enforcing the contract on their end made this a non-feasible compromise. "Non-union has now become an non-negotiable 'no' for me," they wrote, explaining they've turned down contracts from other large studios under the same principle.
To be clear, Miller does not accuse Supergiant of attempting to use generative AI, and Supergiant vociferously shot down the idea that it would use AI technology. "Our games are intentionally made by human beings; no generative AI is being used in the creation of the voiceover, artwork, or any other content that goes into them," it wrote. "We offer the strongest AI protections in the industry to our talent, as we think their work is irreplaceable."
For now Miller and the company appear to be at a standstill. The actor stated that they will only work on projects signed to a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, and Supergiant stated that it "[respects] and will continue to respect any actor needing to pause work during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA video game strike."
"While none of our games have ever been subject to SAG-AFTRA contracts for a variety of reasons, we wish SAG-AFTRA the best in their negotiations to compel larger signatory studios to provide the kinds of protections we think actors deserve," it added.
Alton stressed to Game Developer that the union feels an "honest conversation" between the developers and the union would lead to an equitable solution. "Actors are in this fight because they need union-enforced protections and benefits, now more than ever," he stated. "At SAG-AFTRA we have contracts for every size game company, and as many game creation scenarios as we can think of, from student games to game jams and more to come."
"Every protected project counts toward actors' healthcare and pension benefits, every unprotected project leaves them open to AI abuse with no recourse but their own budget for personal legal fees. We are eager to create open dialogue and positive collaboration with developers of every size and locale—contracts must grow and adapt as industries grow and change. But it only works when folks walk through the open door."
It's unclear at this time if any other Hades II cast members have made similar requests of the company. When reached for comment, Supergiant directed Game Developer to its statement posted on social media.
We've reached out to Miller for their response, and will update this story upon their reply.
Update 2/21: This story has been updated with additional statements from Miller and SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media committee member Zeke Alton.
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