Ben Diskin, the lead voice actor in Mega Man 11, has said he will not reprise his role for Mega Man: Dual Override, as the game's publisher Capcom would only permit him to return "without the protections of a union contract."

In response, actors union SAG-AFTRA has now issued a "Do Not Work Order" against the upcoming Mega Man: Dual Override, claiming the Japanese company had failed to "initiate the signatory process" necessary to hire unionized actors.

"Please be advised that the producer of the video game production entitled Mega Man: Dual Override has failed to initiate the signatory process," the union wrote. "As such, SAG-AFTRA members are hereby instructed to withhold any acting services or performance of any covered work for this production until further notice from the union."

Accepting employment or rendering services on Mega Man: Dual Override could now result in disciplinary action from the union. Consequently, Diskin has declared he is "no longer the voice of Mega Man."

In a statement posted to BlueSky, Diskin said: "With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man. I was asked to return for Mega Man: Dual Override, but only on the condition I work without the protections of a union contract.

"I was told there are 'full A.I. protections in place that guarantee in writing that [my] voice will never be used for A.I. development' but was also told 'with certainty, from [Capcom], that the project will not go union.' While I certainly appreciate the acknowledgement of the concern around AI, working without a contract I can realistically enforce isn't something I can risk.

"The only way to enforce non-union contracts like this involves personally taking giant companies like Capcom to court and suing if I thought they'd used AI. I don't have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight," he added. "In my heart, I want to believe Capcom would never use AI… But in my HEAD, I'm aware that basically every major corporation is looking to incorporate generative AI to save money.

"The video game industry is facing record layoffs and huge amounts of uncertainty. I need a union contract to feel safe."

Diskin also said that he didn't think it made "sense" to have taken strike action for almost a year to secure rights against AI abuse to "then turn right around and go back to work without them," and shared his sadness that Capcom was unwilling to speak to SAG-AFTRA about the issue.

"I expressed that I'd even be willing to work on a LOWER-budget union contract if it meant this flipped," he added. "It genuinely wasn't about the money for me. It's been an honor voicing Mega Man in Mega Man 11, the best-selling game in the series' history, and watching Mega Man reclaim his rightful place as a gaming icon."

SAG-AFTRA reached a "tentative agreement" on the interactive media contract last summer, bringing to an end almost a year of industrial action across the video game industry. The long-running SAG-AFTRA video game strike was instigated back in July 2024 after the union and the major game companies — including Activision, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, WB Games and more — failed to agree on AI provisions. Over 98% of members subsequently voted to strike.

While at first it was difficult to tell exactly how the strike would affect game production, there were visible impacts across the industry; players reported that a number of ongoing games such as Destiny 2 and World of Warcraft appeared to leave some NPCs unvoiced in otherwise voiced scenes, likely due to the strike. Then, in late 2024, SAG-AFTRA struck League of Legends after Riot allegedly tried to subvert the strike by canceling a game in response, and Activision confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 characters were recast after players expressed concern about new voices.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.