Solid Snake's David Hayter bids farewell to Metal Gear franchise

For those who have stuck with the Metal Gear series for 15 years, David Hayter, English language voice actor of Solid Snake, IS Solid Snake. 

Which explains why Hideo Kojima's controversial decision to replace Hayter as the voice of Snake in Metal Gear V: The Phantom Pain has been met with fan outrage.

 

Last week, Kojima confirmed Hayter was not reprising his role for the new game as the series needed a "fresh start". 

 

According to Eurogamer, an emotional Hayter tweeted that he had not been approached to voice Snake, and was not given a reason why.

 

"On the December break, I came home to Los Angeles for the holidays," wrote Hayter. "I heard then, that recording sessions for MG:V were being put together.

 

But I didn't hear anything about whether I'd be needed or not. So, I got in touch with someone involved in the production. We got together for lunch, and he told me that they 'wouldn't be needing me' on this game. No reason, or explanation was given beyond that. And that was it," he said.

 

"I drove home through Laurel Canyon, bummed, and thinking about Snake," he added.

 

Hayter admitted that he "loved" being a part of the Metal Gear franchise.

 

"In 1998, I tried to come up with a voice which epitomized the kind of worn, put-upon, genetically-engineered clone-soldier that I saw Snake to be," Hayter said. 

 

"Over time, as the games became more stunning and visually sophisticated, I tried to transition that initial voice into the increasingly real environments in which Snake found himself. My level of success is up to you, but any perceived deficiencies were not for lack of hard work. I have dedicated a huge amount of time and effort into creating a compelling character, capable of expressing the myriad emotional, physical and psychological hurdles that Snake has to face."

 

Hayter confessed he would love to play Solid Snake forever, if it were only his choice: 

 

"To hear anyone else's voice coming from Snake's battered throat, makes me a little ill, to be honest. But the truth is – it's not my choice. Any and all casting decisions are the sole purview of Hideo Kojima, and Konami itself. And that's fair.

 

"I didn't want anybody to think that I was intentionally abandoning them. And know that I will miss this job, and this character, very much," he concluded.

 

Some fans have speculated that this shocking reveal may be another one of the eccentric video game director's tricks; Kojima, after all, is notorious for being something of a prankster. Gamers will never forget how they were fooled into believing Solid Snake was the hero of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, when in fact the role of main character would eventually go to Raiden, who would later gain his own brand of infamy for his girlish good looks and greatest amount of time spent cart-wheeling nude by any character in a game.

 

Hayter's Twitter posts and Kojimo's own response to questions, however, have left many disappointed over the very real possibility that their favorite voice actor won't be returning in the next Metal Gear game. — TJD, GMA News