What just happened? League of Legends, one of the most popular PC games in the world, is the subject of a proposed strike by actors' union SAG-AFTRA. The organization says it has targeted Riot's MOBA over an audio company that provides voiceover services for the game. However, Riot Games says it has nothing to do with the complaint.

In July, SAG-AFTRA performers who work on video games began striking after 18 months of negotiations with game publishers over the use of generative AI for their voices and likeness broke down.

Now, the union has called a strike against production company Formosa Interactive, which provides audio and art services to several studios. It has worked on Call of Duty, Madden NFL 24, Death Stranding, God of War, and others, including League of Legends.

SAG-AFTRA accuses Formosa of trying to "subvert" the strike by attempting to cancel one of its (unnamed) video games after the strike began. The union says that when Formosa was told that was not possible, it secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for non-union talent only.

"SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law – that employers cannot interfere with performers' rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers," the union said.

"The unilateral and surreptitious transfer of union work to a 'non-union' shell company is an impermissible and appalling attempt to evade a strike action and destroy performers' rights under labor law."

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League of Legends previously was not one of the games covered by the strike. The move means SAG-AFTRA members must stop providing services to the game, which appears to have been singled out as it is one of Formosa's most high-profile titles. The union has filed an unfair labor practice against Formosa with the National Labor Relations Board.

"It's bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG-AFTRA.

"To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won't be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members. Formosa will be held accountable, starting with an immediate strike of League of Legends."

If you think SAG-AFTRA's reason for targeting League of Legends sounds a bit tenuous, you're not the only one. Riot Games has issued a statement on social media saying it has "nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA's press release." Riot adds that since becoming a union project five years ago, it has only asked Formosa to engage with union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. The studio also claims that it never asked Formosa to cancel a game that Riot registered.

There was some progress made on the SAG-AFTRA video game strike earlier this month when 80 titles agreed to the union's AI rules, making them temporarily exempt from the walkout and allowing members to work on them.