9 Video Game Recastings That Pissed Everyone Off
2. Snake - Metal Gear Solid V
There are several reasons why the Metal Gear Solid V recasting was so controversial and became such big news. Firstly, a household name like Keifer Sutherland taking on the role of a beloved video game character was unheard of. To many, this was a warning sign for things to come for voice actors being overshadowed by names that could sell products.
It’s not that Keifer’s take as Snake was particularly bad, it was just not at all what fans wanted to hear. When they heard him that is; as Venom Snake was surprisingly terse particularly in contrast to the chatty Snakes we had known to that point.
What really upset Metal Gear fans though was the treatment of David Hayter. Hayter had played the role for decades at this point, tweaking the voice into new iterations every time. In the West, Hayter’s Snake was and still is perhaps the most iconic video game voice of all time. After all, who hasn’t gurgled out “Metal Gear?!” in Snake’s beloved gravelly tone before?
However, the Japanese studio simply didn’t seem to hold the same value of Hayter’s proven track record and swapped him for the easy attention grab of a Hollywood A-Lister. After over 15 years, Snake’s voice was suddenly different and it was a talking point that followed the game everywhere it went.