David Hayter Comments on Metal Gear Solid Story

Have you ever sat through a Metal Gear cut-scene and not understood what the hell just happened? Turns out you’re in good company — the ultimate company, in fact.

In an interview on Fall Damage, David Hayter — the voice of Snake from the original Metal Gear Solid up to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, along with the series’ numerous offshoots and spinoffs — revealed that, perhaps like most of us, he too has struggled to keep up with series creator Hideo Kojima’s complex storylines.

“Do I understand the story of Metal Gear Solid?” he said when asked (thanks, FRVR). “Uh, basically, I do. Do I understand all of it? Absolutely not.

“I’d be like, ‘What does this mean?’” he joked. “And they’d say, ‘Just say it.'”

That said, Hayter admitted that while the stories can be difficult to follow at times, they are what “makes Metal Gear, Metal Gear.”

“There’s more information,” he added. “There’s more character development. There’s more detail to the story than you can ever possibly absorb, no matter how many times you play it. That’s what makes the world feel real and rich and lovable.”

Hayter revealed last year that he had finally “forgiven” series creator Hideo Kojima for not casting him in 2015’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain after playing the “amazing” game.

At the time he was jettisoned for Hollywood movie star Kiefer Sutherland, Hayter admitted that playing the game at the time would’ve felt like “60 hours of humiliation,” adding: “I’ve got no particular love for Kojima. I don’t feel any need to go back and work with him again.”

Now, with more distance, Hayer said: “There was reluctance. I didn’t want to play the game because I figured it would hurt my feelings. Then, you know, 10 years went by and I was like, ‘Ah, to hell with my feelings. What do I care?’ […] I’m a screenwriter, so I get fired for a living, like I literally, eventually, get fired from every single gig that I’ve got, and I’m not a child. “I was like, ‘Stop being a baby and play the game.’ So I played it. It’s amazing.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.