People often think of Hideo Kojima when the Metal Gear series comes up in conversation. And for good reason, too. Kojima’s the creator, director, and writer, after all. But we’d be remiss not to at least mention the other man who helped turn the series into the iconic classic that it is: David Hayter, who voiced Snake in the four mainline games, along with Peacewalker and Portable Ops.
Over on Twitter/X, Hayter quoted a tweet from Everything Metal Gear asking who was planning to play Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater at launch, and Hayter responded with: “Thinkin’ I will.” And I certainly wouldn’t blame you for reading that in Snake’s unforgettable gravelly voice in your head. I did.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater reuses the English voice work for the original game, so fans will be able to enjoy the enhanced experience along with Hayter’s fantastic voice acting once again. It’s unclear whether Hayter was tapped to record any new lines for Delta, but considering that this is likely just a 1:1 remake of the original game (with some gameplay enhancements and the redone online mode), I wouldn’t hold my breath.
While Hayter’s voice has been widely regarded as synonymous with Snake and the Metal Gear series at large, he did not voice Venom Snake in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It was implied that Hayter was not asked to even audition for the role, which ended up going to Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland. We all know that Kojima‘s a big Hollywood fan — it was suggested that he originally wanted Kurt Russell to voice Naked Snake in Snake Eater — so this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but to set aside the voice actor who helped elevate the series seemed a little cold, to say the least.
While Kojima’s falling out with Konami was very public and very nasty, I can imagine series fans would still at least be somewhat excited to revisit Snake Eater in all its modern HD glory. If nothing else, it’ll be a beautiful trip down memory lane.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is set to be released for PC and consoles on Aug. 28.
