Destiny 2: Heresy launching with missing voice lines due to SAG-AFTRA strike

Strike ongoing since last July.

Destiny 2's Light and Darkness Saga is poised to wrap up yet again this week, as part of a "final epilogue" developer Bungie is calling Heresy. Notably, though, the studio has warned it won't be an all-singing, all-dancing finale - or an all-talking one, at least - given the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike means it's releasing with some of its voice lines missing.

Video game performers within the US actors union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) voted to go on strike last July, after negotiations with major game companies over the use of AI failed to result in a deal. And with the strike still ongoing, Bungie has confirmed "certain voice lines" in its Heresy update won't be voiced.

"With this being our final epilogue entry for the Light and Darkness Saga, our teams have been taking great care to deliver delightful narrative beats and story content for players to enjoy," it wrote in a blog post shared on its website. "Due to the on-going SAG-AFTRA strike, you may notice certain voice lines being silent in-game."

To ensure narrative content can still be followed by players, Bungie says it's enabled subtitles in the Heresy update by default. All activities with missing voice lines will feature a warning beforehand, and the studio points players toward Destiny 2's subtitle customisation and accessibility options so they can "prepare for introductory sequences impacted by this change."

It's unclear if Bungie intends to patch in Heresy's missing voice lines at a later date if an agreement is reached with SAG-AFTRA.

Back in January, SAG-AFTRA confirmed over 130 games had signed to its Interim Interactive Media Agreement, giving companies "access to [its] members under fair and equitable conditions." However, as voice actor Jennifer Hale told Eurogamer at the time, there were still hold-outs. "There are a couple of entities who want to protect their potential profits in the future and leave lots of doors open," she explained, "and those doors could potentially hurt us a lot."