David Hayter Opens Up About Metal Gear Solid Exit

Most Twitter users attempt to share their thoughts in 140 characters or less, but voice actor, screenwriter, and director David Hayter used twitlonger to elaborate about his exclusion from Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

In his fifteen years of voicing Snake, Hayter has worked on nine Metal Gear Solid games, as he's served as a solid fixture in the franchise. "If it were my choice, I would do this role forever," posted Hayter. "To hear anyone else's voice coming from Snake's battered throat, makes me a little ill, to be honest."

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has expressed his desire to recreate the series, and part of that new direction was finding another voice actor for Snake. Hayter claimed that when he returned to Los Angeles over the holidays, he was not directly informed about recording sessions for the next Metal Gear Solid game. After having lunch with someone involved with the game, Hayter was informed that he wouldn't be needed this time around.

"No reason, or explanation was given beyond that," said Hayter, who diplomatically described Kojima's decision as fair.

Hayter is not exactly struggling to find a job, since he has been working on his directorial debut Wolves. The voice actor is also a credited writer on Watchmen, X2, The Scorpion King, and X-Men.

Even with all his success in the film industry, he still values his time as Snake. "And know that I will miss this job, and this character, very much," added Hayter.