David Hayter, the gravelly voice of Metal Gear protagonist Solid Snake, has fans pondering an apparent return to the role after posting an enigmatic new tweet.
Hayter was famously ousted from the role in 2013, after Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima – always one to be swayed by a celebrity – controversially decided to replace him with Sutherland for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Long-time fans, it’s fair to say, were not particularly happy with the move, and Hayter has made no secret of his disappointment in the years since, saying the switch was handled “pretty badly and I’ve got no particular love for Kojima.”
Now, though, Hayter has sparked renewed excitement among fans with a fresh post on social media, teasing, “I was in the booth today. Playing a role I’ve not played, since…” And just to make sure no-one was in any doubt where he was going with that particular wink, Hayter followed the post up with an animated gif of a dagger-wielding Snake.
Kojima, of course, has long parted ways with the Metal Gear series after an acrimonious split with publisher Konami, clearing the way for Hayter’s return. Obviously, a recording booth appearance doesn’t mean Hayter is returning for anything like a brand-new Metal Gear game, and fans over on the series’ subreddit aren’t daring to dream quite that big just yet. Instead, most are speculating he’s warming up the vocal cords to record supplementary or promotional material for Konami’s upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, which is already confirmed to be using the original game’s audio. It’s also possible he could be recording a handful of new lines to accomodate new release formats.
It’s also been noted (via IGN), Hayter will cameo as Snake in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog fan movie Sonic Villains, but recording for that will have been completed long ago given it’s out this month – and it seems unlikely he’d be doing much in-character promo work for a fan film.
All of which is to say, the purpose for Hayter’s recording booth visit remains inconclusive. But with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater still set to release this year, it shouldn’t be too long before we’ll know what we can and can’t start crossing off the speculation list.