David Hayter explains why he wasn't brought back in MGSV

METAL GEAR V

By

David Hayter

[Eamon]

Really sad. I do hope our petitioning and pressure can get Konami and Kojima to change their minds.

David Hayter gave up half of his salary to get the original voice actors of MGS1 to return in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.

[NastyLeftHook0]

Yep. taking out david was like taking out bruce willis from die hard. exept they never took out bruce. hint: dont take out david!~

[Xaphy]

last die hard sucked though

[Pillsbury1]

They should hAve ended it on live free or die hard. He shot through himself to kill the bad guy!

[Tony-Red-Grave]

quite frankly BB is better voiced by Doyle and Otsuka than by Hayter. Aside from that it's just straight up weird to hear snake basically talk to himself.

[silverbeld]

Maybe it's 1 April joke.

He does signed on 1 april.

[Larry L]

Personally I think you're all being duped just like I knew you were all being duped with the whole "Phantom Pain isn't the next MGS game" and "Jaokim isn't Kojima, I swear" things.

You think it's coincidence this was written on April 1st? I don't believe in coincidence. As far as I'm concerned this is just confirmation that David Hayter will be once again reprising his role(s) based on how they've been marketing this game thus far. And how they've been doing that is with the opposite of the truth.

[Dir_en_grey]

Well, it's good that Konami didn't tell Hayter why they didn't need him for this game, or else he'd probably be tweeting it now and spoiling the story.

[DragonKnight]

@Larry L: Except Hayter has been talking about how he won't be a part of MGS5 for awhile now. Remember the Tweet where he asked fans if they'd want to see him in the game or not? The likelihood of it being an April Fools joke is slim.

[Gaming101]

I'm with David Hayter on this one. I'll feel a bit sick to hear anyone other than him voicing snake. If it's not Richard Doyle I'll be extremely pissed. Hayter is not Metal Gear, but Hayter IS Snake. They already tried MGS without Snake on MGS2, and it was shite playing as Raiden compared to Snake.

[Ritsujun]

DH's acting more and more like that JB sissy.

[NukaCola]

Yeah, Die Hard 4 wasnt even a die hard flick, it was some book they put Mclane into and it wasn't Die Hard. Never saw the last one. I think I trust Kojima, but it hurts a little.

[Tultras]

Loved the games, specially die hard 3..

Can anyone remember the catch phrase which was most used in the game???

[RetrospectRealm]

Die Hard 3 is not a game.

[Braid]

Assumimg that it was not a typo, would that be Die Hard Trilogy for SEGA Saturn/Playstation? If that's the case, "yippee-ki-yay!" is what you're looking for.

On topic: The new voice sounds good enough, if the character was Solid I'd have a real problem with it, but it's Big Boss, and as he was voiced by Doyle in the fourth installment we already know that his voice wil naturallyl change as he gets older. The Ground Zeroes part though, is still problematic. I wish they could get Hayter back for the GZ part, and let the new actor do his job on the Phantom Pain part. That'd be my perfect solution.

[Tultras]

Yeah, I meant the Trilogy.

I meant that but thought it was die hard 3, lol.

Been a long time since I played that. ;)

[MariaHelFutura]

David Hayter and Hideo Kojima are trolling all MGS fans hard. Him saying this on April 1st makes it pretty clear. When it comes to info that seems out of place.... dont trust these people, I thought people would have figured it out by now.

[thesummerofgeorge]

I agree. Right down to Hayter saying he sat down to lunch with someone 'involved in the production' who said he wouldn't be needed, without any explanation as to why. I have a hard time believing they would get together for lunch specifically to discuss the matter, only to say "you're out", with no explanation whatsoever, and leave it at that. Not only would that be weird, but disrespectful to Hayter, who's been Solid Snake for 15 years.

[J_Cob]

I learned my lesson with MGS2. Kojima will not fool me again.

[god_o_war]

i have the same feeling. He loves trolling keeps the wait more interesting :)

[WUTCHUGUNNADO]

Easy solution for you guys... if you don't like the fact that Hayter isn't going to be in MGS5 then don't buy MGS5. I'm sure the lack of sales will knock some sense into them.

[hkgamer]

I don't like the fact that Hayter won't reprise his role as snake in the new MGS. But to be honest, it won't stop me from playing the game.

I still think Kojima should have tried to see if hayter could have changed his voice a little to suit the new Big Boss.

Does anyone know if the japanese version of big boss have the same voice style as all the other games? I know they got the same voice actor but has he done anything different with the voice?

[Root]

Such a shame

Kojima is such a douche...sorry but it has to be said. The problem is Kojima has become such a "icon" in the gaming industry that whatever he says is automatically gold, he could create a crap game and it would get good reviews.

If he's not trolling us he's basicaly done this for nothing

1) The Japanese voice actor for Snake is still returning

2) Kojima talked about "recreating the MGS" franchise yet thats his reason for leaving David out.....if that was the case thats something you would say if you were rebooting the series.

3) He said that this time it's his last MGS game (I know he's said it before) but if it was why get rid of him. You may aswell include him

I really don't think MGSV should of been another prequel. If he wanted to do a sequel he should of found a way to bring Solid Snake back....someway.

[hkgamer]

yeah it is a shame, kojima wanted a new vision thus leaving hayter out but keeping otsuka.

He said this would be his last MGS game. He didn't say it would be the last one though, its a series he knows Konami/Kojima Productions will never let go. I am guessing he will take a ligher role like he did for portable ops.

MGS doesn't need a sequel, 4 was the perfect ending to the series. Wrapped up almost everything and Solid Snakes journey is over and he can finally rest.

However, the problem with the prequels is that it makes BB so awesome that SS is overshadowed.

[TheXonySbox]

voice actors dont make video games.
Gameplay and story does.

[TheXonySbox]

If you disagree you are clearly delusional fanboys. Get real. Lighten up. Seriously, lol!

[awesomeperson]

Voice actors contribute to both the story and the gameplay in my opinion. It would be completely offputting to have a character who is in no way matched by a voice actor. Thus not having a fitting voice actor would negatively affect how you perceive the story, and to some lesser extent also the gameplay (as voice actors do speak during generally play).

[Mainman]

I like David Hayter. But Snake sounded really awesome in the trailer as well though. I wanna give the new actor a chance.

[FriedGoat]

That wasn't snake talking in the trailer, it was the bandages guy.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

What trailer did you hear Snake in? Are you talking about Keifer Sutherland? Or at least the guy who sounds like Keifer Sutherland?

[jcnba28]

Yeah man I totally know how you feel...

First world problems.

[DeadlyFire]

Why am I reading this on April 1st? I feel like its another mind game.

Snake isn't in this game well as an adult. So I expect Hayter's voice isn't really required as in MGS 4 they felt an older Big Boss would have a different voice likely that is why he is not in this game. Still won't be bad though we know Kojima will do it right.

[Donnieboi]

Kojima-san:

-Disrespects Hayter by not telling him to his face that he doesn't want him back for MGS V.
-Cancels MGO2, knowing it may take 2-3 years until we ever get another one. Doesn't care, gives it to an AMERICAN (-_-) dev team that he whips up out of nowhere to make the sequel, even though they may not have ever played any of the past MGO games).
-Trolls us with that Jaokim nonsense which was anticlamactic feeling when he finally revealed that TTP was MGS V.

I love Kojima, but lately i'm getting annoyed.

[sengoku]

meww i'm used to hideo kojima always trying to kill off the metal gear series.

it never takes him long to shoot out an eye, saw off a arm death by old age or letting a completely unknown take the lead role.

lets face it's always been this way with him.
peace walker is the only exception in which the lead character gets away to fight another day without been blinded or chopped up (odd really)

i have loved an hated every thing he has ever done to the series and i will buy this next installment on day one whatever he does.
because to me he is just great at creating very good games. love the series and it's always been worth every penny i spent on it.

wish david the best and i wont be surprised that we will see him again..

[DanielForth]

I bet this is All just an elaborate Troll, Hayter Not returning? this Game seems to be delivered or marketed in Parts, One Has to ask themselves So he's Not returning for this Part but what about the other... So hes not in the Prologue? so what.. ?

[Xaphy]

:(

[black911]

This is Why In The Link!

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Cloudberry]

.
: (

[GrieverSoul]

I still cant get over the fact that this guy´s voice aint gonna be on MGS:5.

I feel this is a giant troll from Kojima and Hayter.
Adding the fact that he posts this on 1st of April... I dont know...

[Batzi]

Yes but he wrote this on April 1st..

[e-p-ayeaH]

yeah we can still hope xD

[zerocrossing]

Everyone should note that it's April 1st (AKA April fools day) Im not saying theirs definite foolery afoot but it seems kinds odd don't ya think?

[Eamon]

The man himself has said this is no April Fools.

https://twitter.com/DavidBH...

[hiptanaka]

Maybe him saying it isn't an April Fool's joke is an April Fool's joke itself?

[vazurahan]

But then he suddenly deleted the tweet. It's like Konami saying, "Hey! You two (HK & DH) are going overboard!!!"

[ziggurcat]

except info on hayter not being in mgs5 has been out for a while now... so i doubt it's an april fools joke.

[Batzi]

Many pranks had started prior to April 1st only to be revealed later that they were jokes on that day. Sometimes, realism(to convince someone) requires more than a day to achieve :P

[Coltrane_C]

I actually think this is no April Fool's. I think that Kojima wants to go in another direction. His letter was too sincere to be a joke.

[WUTCHUGUNNADO]

and that's where the conflict lies.

[Batzi]

Sincere? Exactly what they want you to believe. You think Kojima would make it obvious? Think again.

[Sandmano]

@Xaphy that is soooooooo besides the point :D

[xBigxBossx]

"!"

[Buuhan1]

But didn't he on several occasions say he wanted to hang up the coat on Snake due to the voice getting really hard on him? If that's true he can't really claim to be a victim now, for all he knows those comments may have been one of the reasons that led to this. I'd think if Kojima realized that Hayter was in physical pain performing the voice he'd look into relieving him.

[oof46]

I don't know if he said it in jest, but I remember Hayter saying before each recording session, he had to smoke almost half a pack to get his voice gruff enough.

This is kind of like the transition that Splinter Cell is going through with Michael Ironside getting replaced.

[illustratedDEO]

yo that kinda sucks and is pretty much a kick in the grind,If Hayter wasn't called upon in production of this game, Kojipro better have a good reason.

[2pacalypsenow]

first Splinter cell now MGS :-/

[krontaar]

APRIL FOOLS.

Oh kojima, you always do this.

[WitWolfy]

Dude just that you know... This was announced long before April fools so guess again..

[krontaar]

Still just a publicity stunt as usual.

[RyuX19]

Yes, but he didn't have to write this all out and release on April 1st. That makes what he wrote questionable.

[Maldread]

That`s completely hopeless Kojima. What the hell are you thinking??

This has to be the most stupid decision Kojima has ever done. And that`s including making SPOILER ALERT!!!! Raiden a lead character in MGS2.

Instead of gaining positive response after the showing of MGS V, all the fans can think about now is !!!! Changing the iconic voice of Snake is suicide for the series. It would be like removing Charlie Sheen from Two and a half men. And we all know how well that went. Without him there isn`t a show any more, becuase he`s the show, and the reason why you watch it.

The same is it with Snake`s personality. He`s the reason why people want to play the MGS-games. Without Hayter`s voice there isn`t any more Snake.

I see some people pointing out that this is Big Boss and that`s why he shouldn`t have the same voice as Solid Snake. But why did Hayter then voice him in MGS3 and the portable MGS-games? Why is Akio Ōtsuka still voicing him in the japanese version, if Kojima wanted a change? It dosn`t make any sense.

I hope the fans speak up about this, bacause i don`t want to see Kojima doing another George Lucas to his series. Of course some people will say that it`s his game and he could do what he wants with it. But it`s also the fans that Kojima is making the game for. That`s the whole point of doing it isn`t it? Kojima isn`t the only one who get`s to have an opinion of the direction to take the series.

Just think how well Star Wars could`ve turned out it someone stoped Lucas from going la lu li la lo mental with Star Wars? How well did MGS2 turn out in the end compared to MGS1 and MGS3? Kojima isn`t allways right, and the least he needs is more puppets around him, who will just agree with everything he does.

For those who think characters arn`t important in video games, look at the new reboot of Dante in Devil May Cry. The sales were abysmal because you don`t spit your fans in the face and think they don`t care. In a series like MGS the story and characters are even more important than in DMC. So why fuck with what`s perfect already?

Without Hayter as Big Boss i just can`t see myself picking the game up. The only reason i could except it, is if Hayter would voice Solid Snake in the game and he would fight Big Boss and they didn`t want him talking to himself. But i don`t see that as likely. Why is Akio Ōtsuka still voicing him in the japanese version, if that`s the case? I really hope this is some kind of joke, but i don`t think so unfortunately :(

I really hope Kojima comes to his senses, but i doubt it really. I don`t mean to sound pessimistic, but he`s a hard man to change once he`s made up his mind.

I do believe though that the chance will increase if enough people will voice their concerns about it, so i`m hoping as many as possible will do so. He definatly needs to hear it as soon as possible, before it`s too late.

[WitWolfy]

Took the word straight out of my mouth!

[JAM_brz]

I think putting Hayter in the voice of Big Boss in MGS3 was a mistake. As was in Portable MGS serie. *Spoiler* was a little weird when a saw Big Boss and Snake together in the final of MGS4, with different voices..

But now that the mistake was made, it's time to left Hayter work again with Big Boss

[Coltrane_C]

Agreed if he would have handled it like that then this wouldn't even been an issue but you can start something like that and do a 180 and grab someone else. It is crazy. Now if it is Richard Doyle then I understand because of MGS4 but if it is not Doyle either then Kojima has some hardcore explaining to do. Now Kojima owes us nothing it is his game and we have a choice to buy it or not but this news is really unsettling.

[GdaTyler]

Also take into consideration that Big Boss was burned to shit in his later years. If that didn't change his voice I don't know what will. That and it would be confusing to hear two characters with the same voice.

[xBigxBossx]

To say you won't pick up mgs v is sacrilegious. Would Hayter be missed? Yes. But lets by forget this game is Kojima... He is MGS... Nobody else is. I love Hayter... But people sayin they won't pick up Kojimas next baby makes me LOL.

[Maldread]

Well you could say the same thing about Two and a half men, and how well is that series going without Sheen? Dead in a ditch, yes it is.

Kojima is a fantastic game creator, but ditching the main chararcter is like saying game over.

It reminds me of movies where they don`t have any of the main characters left and are stuck with nobodies that nobody cares about.

A big part of Snake`s personality is his voice. It`the reason why people find him iconic. How well would Kratos in GOW work if they had changed his voice actor? Drake`s in Uncharted? Darth Vader in Star Wars?

It just wouldn`t be the same character any more. And trust me Snake is damn important in the games. Why do you think people hated Raiden so much to begin with? That alone shows that Kojima dosn`t allways make the right decisions with his games.

[KiRBY3000]

Kojima is MGS just as much as Hayter is Snake's voice.

[xBigxBossx]

Don't get me wrong.. I'm not happy about David not being the voice of my beloved Big Boss. I just can't imagine not playing MGSV. Ill be popping in on all these people calling strike on this game when it comes out :)

[SpecialK]

Am I the only person who didn't mind Raiden being the main character in MGS2?

I mean Snake is awesome but I liked the twist at the beginning and thought the game was still great, like all of them.

Change is good every now and then.

Id have liked to play as Boss. If I remember rightly she was around during WW2?

Just checked she was involved in D day, now sneaking around during that, with enemies everywhere fighting. Thats what I want.

Could be possible on next gen hardware too.

[Darrius Cole]

"Am I the only person who didn't mind Raiden being the main character in MGS2? "

No, I'm sure there are two of you. There has to be another person who liked Raiden out there somewhere.

[rainslacker]

There are many fine voice actors out there who could likely perform the role of snake. I don't know any of their names because quite honestly, outside a couple VA's that people go on about, most don't gives a crap about them.

MGS games are about the story and stealth game play. If Hayter were to return, I say great, he did a good job, but if not then I(and likely many others) probably wouldn't have even noticed if people weren't making such a big deal about it.

In summary, MGS is not a vehicle for Hayter, it is a creation of Kojima. People like what Hayter did with the character, and he deserves props for him dedication and ability, but it is a much different scenario than 2-1/2 Men or any other star driven show.

[Tultras]

I think that there would be a good reason for not including him, and the interest of the fans was taken into account.

This is Hideo Kojima, not EA/Acti.

[abzdine]

no David Hayter no Snake for me! and no Snake no MGS game for me either...
man it's like watching DBZ in swedish, that thing sounds aweful.

[JAM_brz]

Hey Konami.. wake up...

all of MGS fans wants Hayter... why took him out of the project? There's no "real" Snake without Hayter. If Snake is a clone, I will treat this other Snake voice as well.

Bring back Hayter and stop that bullshit.

Or, thinking again, today it's April Fool, and Kojima like to play a lot with their fans.

[firelogic]

Listen you whiners. You love MGS because of Kojima, not because of a voice. You've loved every game in the series thus far so trust the man that delivered all those great games to do the right thing. If he doesn't want Hayter doing the voice then there's a reason for it. Whether it's a creative thing or just that he hates him, the bottom line is the game isn't going to suffer in the slightest because Hayter's not doing Big Boss' voice.

The groundwork was already layed when he got Richard Doyle to do BB's voice. Now he's going to get someone else to do it that will eventually transition into Doyle's version.

So sit tight and wait.

PS
Were you all up in arms over the fact that Hayter wasn't talking to himself at the end of MGS4? No? Well you should have been if this is the kind of ridiculous reaction you're giving.

And as much I love Hayter's Snake voice, he was horrible in MGS4. He tried to do an old snake and failed imo.

[Eamon]

Kojima already gave his reason why. He said that he wanted a new voice because MGS is taking a bold new direction and will be very different to older MGS games.

Basically, there's no real signficant reason. Akio Otsuka, the japanese voice of Snake, is returning.

So, in reality this does feel like a selfish decision made by Kojima.

[JAM_brz]

I disagree with you, but I respect your opinion.

But I think you commited an error for saying Hayter failed to do Snake in MGS4. Snake was old, but just in the appearance, not in the voice. I think the voice was very well implemented in a man that was suffering... but he wasn't old for the "age". So I think Hayter not tried to do an old voice.

[theDECAY]

I also thought Hayters voice in MGS4 was pretty awful. I mean bad enough to sort of suck me out of the action at some points. I'm pretty sure it's not just me.

[Omar91]

How did you guys think Hayters voice in MGS4 was awful? he sounded groggier, raspier and "older" thats what he wanted everyone to notice, how bad snake was suffering due to the aging. It wasn't only just appearance. He was clearly deteriorating inside as well. If you listen to the beginning of MGS4, snake sounds less raspier then how he does towards the end. I thought it was perfect the way he played it out.

[leahcim]

oh come on Kojima-san!

we are talking of a voice that defined at least two generations of gamers here!

[Pillsbury1]

I think kojimas and hayter need to be in an interview together to finally sort the reason as to why he was not in it. This is kojima and he just won't backstabbing us loyal fans for no reason, he's not EA.

[theDECAY]

Why would be do that? He built MGS from the ground up and he can do whatever he wants.

[LarVanian]

As much as I respect Kojima, his reason for replacing Hayter is rather silly IMO. He accordingly wants MGS5 to be a reinvention of the series and believes that replacing Hayter will serve as a reflection of the change.
I could understand this if Kojima was actually rebooting MGS or creating an all new protagonist. But the fact is, this is still the same Naked Snake/Big Boss we have all come to know and love. The same Naked Snake who has been voiced by Hayter in previous games. It would only make sense that he continues to voice Snake.

[thecurseddevil]

i agree,and by the way if he wants to reinvent the series why is japanese voice actor the same.

[infamousinfolite]

It's amazing how one change in a person's voice can change the hearts of many. Of course, all fans of MGS loved both Kojima and Hayter, individually. The game (Metal Gear Solid V) may be one of the best games Kojima has done in a while and yet it probably won't matter to many people if Hayter is not voicing Big Boss.

[oldassgamer]

Maybe this is Kojima's way of preparing us for the death of Snake. By replacing (killing) the voice of Snake we become disconnected from the character, and it becomes easier to accept the death of Snake...and possibly the MGS series (!)

[OpieWinston]

First Ironside isn't in Splinter Cell Blacklist...
NOW
David hayter isn't in MGSZ....

Spy Games are dead I guess. 2013 the year Spy games die.

Not buying Blacklist or Zeroes. (Doubt I'll make much of a difference in sales XD)

[FungLip]

We've been played. The timing of Hayter's tweets and now this on April 1st? Something is definitely up.

[Lucreto]

I still feel this is an April Fool.

Kojima likes playing with our heads.

Why he waited for April Fool's Day to write that? Really?

[kostchtchie_]

would not be surprised if this was Kojima's team again, they swayed his hand in MGS4 and MGRaiden, and probably pushing him on this new MGS5, really sad, it may have been kojimas writing, but it was David Hayter's voice and emotion to that character that pushed so many into loving the metal gear series

[mojitality]

mgs without david hyter is like a sandwich without soda i hope they reconsider

[thecurseddevil]

whats up with these stealth games,
first michael ironside is not in splinter cell anymore,
then this..
this whole not featuring hayter as snake to give metal gear a new feel feels all bullshit to me.

[TacticProductionz]

April Fool's Day :)

[Donnywho]

Please be a joke.

[XCore]

My love for the Metal Gear franchise and the work Kojima always churns out is immense. I've played every installment to the death, bought a PS2 just so I could play MGS2 and a PS3 just so I could play through MGS4.

The Metal Gear franchise means a lot to me, and to have Kojima make such a rash decision without any proper logic seems to be a bit strange. I follow Kojima well enough to know every major decision he makes is one that he is able to justify, and most importantly one that is beneficial for the series in the future.

Changing the voice of Snake is a major decision. Sure, some people may argue that Hayter was mediocre in MGS4, but he was superb in MGS3, Peace Walker and MGS1. Regardless of his quality behind the mic, he is Snake. The character of Snake has been built around him. The man took a pay cut when re-recording the voices of Twin Snakes so that the fans could enjoy a cast they've already met.

This man loves the series from the bottom of his heart. I'm not Hayter fanboy, I love the MGS series no matter how controversial Kojima can be at times but this decision has to rank as one of his stupidest. Why let Hayter voice Big Boss in Peace Walker and not in MGSV? 9 years wouldn't really make such a difference to one's voice.

The time span between MGS1 and MGS4 is testament to that. 9 years on the official MGS timeline, and Snake's voice has only become more gruff, more deep as a result of the many medical complications Snake has faced. That makes sense. Changing a voice actor altogether doesn't.

This decision doesn't sound like one Kojima would make, but he isn't unprofessional to change a voice actor on the basis of a coma. The dude knows what he's doing, he knows how to please the fans. I don't know why he's overlooking this. He wants to recreate the MGS series, but keeps Akio Otsuka as Big Boss' Japanese voice actor? He's also keeping Kaz Miller's voice actor too?

Either this is just an elaborate ruse from Kojima, or maybe Kojima and Hayter have fallen out. Creative differences, whatever.. who knows. Time would tell I suppose.

[TheFurryPanda]

I'm so sure this is just going to be another trick by kojima. Secretly have hayder voicing snake for a part of the game so nobody see's it coming.

[jukins]

i'd be worried if it wasnt kojima. Not sure why they didnt use hayter but at the same time kojima's insane level of perfectionalism eases my mind that things will be ok

[helghast102]

I'll miss Hayters voice, but you need to remember that Big Boss had a new voice in MGS4, and eventually his voice needed to change elsewhere too to accommodate this.

[turnerdc]

I don't understand the whole "trolling" comments when it comes to Hayter not being part of MGS5. What does Kojima have to gain by trolling fans about Hayter? I can understand the whole "Phantom Pain" thing as he didn't want to give away MGS5 just yet until GDC hit. Now that we know it IS MGS5 there's no reason to "troll" fans by saying that Hayter isn't part of MGS5. GDC is over, he pulled the lid off the secrets already. Konami has already stated on multiple occasions that Hayter isn't part of MGS5, Hayter himself has said he isn't part of MGS5, Hayter himself also confirmed this is no "April Fools" joke, and the voice in the trailer was definitely not Hayter. In the end if this is all one big joke and Konami and crew are tugging on fan's emotions by pretending that Hayter isn't in MGS5 well then that's just a really crappy thing to do.

[overrated44]

With all the stupid April Fools' jokes today, I really wish this was one of them.

[Tei777]

I'm not a massive metal gear fan but I play them, when this news came out I didn't care about David no longer voicing snake. However after reading I feel sad and demand Kojima get him on board now!!! *wipes tear*

Or this could be an april fools joke, either way I hope Hayter isn't taking the news badly :(

[THamm]

Yes Kojima said he was too busy to come up with an April Fools Joke. After reading this, I take this as a joke.

[TemplarDante]

LMAO THIS WHOLE THING IS A PLOY!

Trust me.. Snake will be born in MGS V. and Kojima is trolling us BIGTIME!

like, flying whale and Joakim Mogren mega trolling.

Think : Tanker - Big Shell
Snake - Raiden

Hayter is in MGS V!

[Welcome2Die]

I would have been okay with Hayter coming back as big boss however im not saddened by him not being in the game because knowing Kojima, there will be another MGS game and with the fan backlash Hayter will be back... although probably not as BB but as Solid Snake...

[taint]

Did this have to go up on April 1st?

[sdplisken]

hayter not being in MGSV saddens me deeply but im still getting the game

[El Nino]

I don't agree it's April fools. Some people won't buy the game if hayter isn't in it, sorry but that's the simple truth. Why would you risk losing sales over a prank? They will lose sales anyway in the Playstation fanbase. I personally think that the change of voice is to do with the the fact it's across multi platforms simultaneously. They want to break away from playstation to a certain extent and that voice is not only synonymous with Snake and MGS but also the Playstation brand. Now it's on 360 they want a new voice. There keeping the Japanese fella cos it makes little difference in Japan as the 360 doesn't sell anyway.

Personally I'm so so,on the upcoming game. It's been hyped, teased,,shrouded in mystery, honestly it's gonna struggle to live up to the hype Kojima has created. He's also become egotistical, I see interviews from years gone by and he came across as a modest man, now he's the opposite.

[Killjoy3000]

Man, call me nerdy, but this made me shed a single tear. I have grown up with this franchise and to hear this man express his pure love for the character and the fact that nobody ever called him or wanted him just gave me a sudden burst of anger. I want to lock Kojima in a room for an hour and bitch him out for this crap.

[Omar91]

I can't help but keep in the back of my mind that this may actually be kojima trolling us after all.... I hope I'm right !

Posting this on April fools day on any other day is like David Himself trying to tell us this is all just a troll.

[PirateThom]

I keep wanting it to be an April Fools joke but, bare in mind, this all came out before today.

I don't know, I want to be excited about the game, I really do, but I'm finding it oddly hard simply due to David Hayter's lack of involvement or, more correctly, the reasons behind it.

All I can think about is that regardless of who is playing Big Boss, the illusion is immediately broken because it's not David Hayter or Richard Doyle. I'd prefer either over a nobody and I could, at least, understand the latter because in MGS4 I immediately bought into it with Richard Doyle. To have neither just feels.... wrong.

Maybe it is all an elaborate ruse but it doesn't feel like it.

[PreparedforWar]

This is just an April Fool's joke.

[Mr Tretton]

If this was an April Fools joke, it would a really stupid, pointless, unfunny one. But, there's a lot of that going around.

[Xklaw]

Isn´t Hayter voicing snake im rising dlc? so far i don´t believe any of this. until the game is out i´ll consider this trolling the fans. and i dont believe kojima wouldn´t simply give no reason to hayter about not using him.

[JonnyBigBoss]

1st April 2013 from TwitLonger

Refer to the editorial I wrote on GameRevolution.com. He's going to be in the game.

[DS36]

Is everyone seriously going to let the voice of a character make or break this game for you? Im sad to see Hayter go too, but not that sad. Still going to buy no matter what.

[Paul85]

I sense april foolery!!!

[Tyre]

This is unacceptable....David Hayter MUST do the Voice. What did Kojima think? Temporarily insane? Kojima you must revise your discussion. This will not stand. I'm serious. MGS without Hayter is impossible and a grave mistake! Kojima should be ashamed!

[bunfighterii]

I hope he's back for other MGS titles. It's just not Snake without Hayter.

[Enigma_2099]

Well, to be fair, something good came from this...

.. Hayter now has a real good idea of how much he means to the fanbase.

[PreparedforWar]

This is just an April' Fools joke and its not even a good one.

[Gamer_of_the_Year]

I am getting excited because this means that there is going to be some sort of mystery and intrigue between the two games. I wouldn't be surprised if BB and Snake meet up at the end of Phantom Pain in that big battle from the mythology. Maybe Hayter isn't voicing BB but will voice a version of Snake in PP.

Either way, this game is going to be amazing.

[g2gshow]

i hate my farther i like my farther i hate my farther i kinda like my farther i hate my.....you get it right die hard 3

[g2gshow]

he's a voice actor an was paid you cant be the man forever talk more about you movie an move it

[shotgun_ps3]

It's April 1st and I'm still not falling for this.

[gamedebater]

Hayter was in MGS3 so he should be in MGSV since uhmmm it's still big boss before hes an OLD man.....

[bujasem_89]

ow David... Why must you have me tear up at the thought ! god... it is really weird not having him as snake. "fox"

[CommonSense]

WHO CARES???

Everyone likes to pretend that Hideo Kojima is a genius so why question his "artistic" vision?

[Yoshikiri]

Metal Gear Solid 2.

Need I say more?

[madara0sama]

When I saw April 1, 2013 I lol'd. Only an April's fool would think he's not in the game. This game will show you the beginning of the Snake clones. Possibly Solid Snakes birth. Shit's gonna be good.

[Sideras]

This is just weird, I seriously doubt Kojima would just ignore Hayter after all these years. And Kojimas explanation that he wants something new and fresh is even weirder. He basically went out of his way to make yet another MGS despite wanting to work on other IP's. Sounds alot like fan service to me and going against the majority of the fans and exclude Hayter doesn't sound likely.
I think they are both trolling us, or Kojima is trolling Hayter.

[Yoshikiri]

April Fools Day, or not. I'm not happy. I speak with the same opinion next to all other Metal Gear fans have, and I can say that unless David Hayter returns, I will not be purchasing this games english copy.

[Max-Zorin]

David Hayter not voicing Snake, that's like Robin Williams not voicing the Genie.

[kuro2010]

Hit the disagree you want.. at the end those who hit the disagree on my comment will buy the game ! it sad that david hayter is not in Metal gear V. still I'll buy the game in day one ! cheer out guys !

[pupunoob]

Solid Snake without David Hayter. Sigh. These developers just love screwing the fans over don't they.

[yaz288]

big boss has two voices .. and now they are 3. it isn't a big deal for me. I loved David Hayter more as solid snake than big boss and I love to think that solid snake will maybe appear in this game (and that is why they needed to find a new actor).

this didn't piss me off like splinter cell did .. Sam is an old dude so they should find him one who can make him look old.

[llMurcielagoll]

If this is an April fool's gag then, you got me real good...

I really hope it is a prank and not real. However, it does look very convencing.

[o-Sunny-o]

David Hayter help write MGS2 problem with David being gone...yes! He was in that video in the beginning of MGS4 boom he's funny and a great part of MGS.

[TheOneEyedHound]

April Fool's confirmed it to me.

BTW I hate April Fool's.

[TheOneEyedHound]

E3 2013

Kojima: It's my pressure to pleasnt you de Next gamepray vireo fol Metar geal Sorid V

Video plays

We then hear Snake with Hayters voice, we happy Now?

Kojima: Did you Rike it?

[Solid_Eye]

APRIL FOOLS
So everything was for this day
-David tweets
-The new voice of Snake in MGS5 trailer
!!!!! KOJIMA you are Genius

[T3MPL3TON]

Nobody else think this is all just a setup? This just so happens to get posted on April Fools day? They've been trolling us all along with this game.

If you pay attention to whats going on with the trailer. Snake has been injected with a drug that makes you hallucinate.

Not only do I expect Hayter to do the voice, but I expect that this game will have both Big Boss and Solid Snake.

[isyourhouseonfire]

Considering MGS has gone the way of Final Fantasy and, well, dinosaurs, I don't think Mr Hayter has anything to worry about.

[Shnooze]

I will really miss Hayter in this role, he was the only one that ever really captured the personality of snake, to me at least. Even if he's not in V, I'll be playing it. And I'll make sure to at least try and see if he made at least the slightest cameo, because THAT would be greatly eye opening, and perhaps Kojima may have other plans for Hayter.

Who knows? It is Kojima after all.

[sdnprime0013]

I feel like this is an april fools joke. The beginning of the letter says the date and so does the end of the letter.

"My Best wishes to you all... David Hayter April 1st, 2013"

More like... "This is a joke.. look at the date."

I can see why kojima would want to change the voice though. Snake was in a coma for 9 years..... thats a very long time. You're going to be a completely changed person after you get out of that coma. Snakes voice could of been cleaned up due to not smoking for so long.

But i was playing mgs3 yesterday due to all of this hype and snake without hayter really is going to feel empty IMO.

If hayter isn't present, the game won't feel right when i play it. Even though it is still going to be amazing either way.

[iNcRiMiNaTi]

Wasn't that coma and "how long it's been" thing covered already. Kojima is using the same japanese voice actor but changing the US one?