 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , US |
| Parent | Keywords Studios (2018–present) |
| Website | blindlight.com |
Blindlight, LLC is a Los Angeles-based company providing Hollywood production services to the video game industry. Notable properties the company has contributed to include the Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Guild Wars, Splinter Cell, Tomb Raider, Destiny , and Halo series. It was acquired by Keywords Studios in June 2018. [1]
Formed in 2000 by four managers from Icebox.com, Blindlight sought to apply the talents and expertise from Hollywood's film and television industries to the video game industry. [2] The company's initial service disciplines included casting and voice production, celebrity acquisition, story and scriptwriting, music production, motion capture and sound design. While its contractors are sourced mostly from traditional Hollywood industries, Blindlight operates exclusively as a service provider to videogame companies.[ citation needed ]
Before technological advances brought about the advent of the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox in 2001, many games were written and voiced by computer artists and "programmers around the office." [3] The newfound potential for delivering richer multimedia experiences through videogames instigated the need for contributions from traditional Hollywood resources such as actors, writers, and composers. Blindlight sought to elevate the filmic aspects of videogames by developing ways for game producers to take advantage of the distributed freelance specialists that comprise the modern-day Hollywood production model. [4]
In December 2003, the company moved its headquarters to its current location on the Sunset Strip. In 2004, Blindlight opened an office in Tokyo, Japan.[ citation needed ]
In July 2024, voice actors, motion capture employees and other people employed by Blindlight who were Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members would begin a labor strike over concerns about A.I. [5]
Blindlight's filmography on IMDb lists more game credits for voice production than any other company, [6] and according to a GDC profile on the company, "its client list has grown to include 19 of the top 20 game publishers." [7] Blindlight's voicework has earned industry awards including Best Dialog of the Year, [8] Best Performance by a Human Male, [9] and Performance of the Year. [10] The company is known for producing the voicework on such prominent games as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , which won an AIAS award for Outstanding Achievement in Story and Game of the Year, [11] and Dishonored , which was recognized by BAFTA as the Best Game of 2012. [12]
Other notable achievements include:
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From October 2016 to September 2017, SAG-AFTRA, representing video game voice actors, went on strike against American video game companies over failed contract renegotiation terms of the Interactive Media Agreements that had been in discussion since February 2015. The union sought to have actors, voice actors, and motion-capture actors who contribute to video games be better compensated with residuals based on video game sales atop their existing recording payments; the game companies asserted that the industry as a whole eschews the use of residuals, and by giving the actors these, they would trivialize the efforts of the developers who are "most responsible" for the development of the games. In exchange, the companies had offered a fixed increase in rates and a sliding-scale upfront bonus for multiple recording sessions, which the union had rejected. Other issues highlighted by the strike include better transparency in what roles and conditions actors would perform, more safety precautions and oversight to avoid vocal stress for certain roles, and better safety assurances for actors while on set.
Efftective 12:01 am on July 26, 2024, the US labor union SAG-AFTRA initiated a labor strike against all video game companies signed to the Interactive Media Agreement. The strike had been authorized in September 2023. The strike started after a year and a half of negotiations failed to result in a protection agreement for all performers covered by this Interactive Media Agreement in their A.I. language. In addition to video game performers, there were concerns about companies having the ability to train A.I. to replicate an actor’s voice, or create a digital replica of their likeness, without consent or fair compensation.