Former Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter has revealed that he is unlikely to work with Hideo Kojima ever again.
Speaking to Game Informer, Hayter spoke at length about his feelings regarding being replaced as Snake’s voice actor in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
As it turns out, Kojima-san had wanted to replace him far sooner than the most recent entries in the popular stealth-action franchise. More than a decade ago, Konami set its sights on having Kurt Russell take the role for 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater; Russell declined however, and Hayter was forced to re-audition for the role.
Elsewhere, the renowned voice actor also shed light on how he found out he had been replaced in Metal Gear Solid V. Apparently, he bumped into a producer on the title at a recording studio, who simpy informed Hayter that he wouldn’t be needed for the sequel.
Unsurprisingly, this didn’t sit too well with Hayter: “It was annoying to me, because I thought that I had given a lot to the series and really helped promote it,” he said. “I’ve got no particular love for Kojima. I don’t feel any need to go back and work with him again.”
Kojima-san has now left Konami to form his own independent version of Kojima Productions. The company is currently working on its first title, which will be a PS4-exclusive.