Kiefer Sutherland unveiled as the voice of Snake

But, with the release of Metal Gear Solid V that is all going to change, as Kiefer Sutherland (24, Touch) has been announced as the new voice of Snake (Big Boss if you want to be precise).

Speaking at a pre-E3 conference yesterday, creator Hideo Kojima made the announcement and had this to say:

"I wanted Snake to have a more subdued performance expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice rather than words. Furthermore, the game takes place in 1984 when Snake is 49 years old. Therefore, we needed someone who could genuinely convey both the facial and vocal qualities of a man in his late 40s. It's different from anything we've done before."

Seems rather odd, as though Sutherland is 46, Hayter is only 44 himself.

Sutherland seems very pleased with the role, and so he should!

"It's an honor to be able to play this character," Sutherland said. "This character has an unbelievable legacy. There's a real personal quality to the character that I've connected to. I'm not a gamer, and I even knew about this game. I was certainly keenly aware of the legacy of these games, the unbelievable success of these games."

Hayter, who also wrote the scripts for X-Men and X2, remains upbeat.

"Can't fault @RealKiefer," he tweeted. "Great actor, good man. The game will probably still be excellent. Like New Coke!"

Followed by a more touching tweet - "To my beloved Tweeps, I can't thank you enough for all your support. Getting fired was never so heartwarming,"

Many, including myself, will be holding out hope that this is another typical Kojima mind game. For years he has messed with gamers expectations; most notably when making the main playable character for Metal Gear Solid 2 Raiden, instead of Solid Snake. If however Sutherland is the voice and Hayter has no part to play, at least they picked the best they could.

No details yet on when MGS V is released, though it will be on both PS3 and Xbox 360.