The SAG-AFTRA strikes that have been affecting 160,000 actors and personalities in the united states, including a sizable portion of video game voice actors like Ashly Burch and David Hayter, since October 2016 will probably be ending soon. An agreement has been reached and the union has outlined some of the benefits that actors will receive.

“The terms of the tentative agreement, which was reached early Saturday morning, include a new bonus structure that provides an additional payment to performers. The bonus payment, which is due no later than the release date of the game, is based on the number of sessions worked on each game, beginning with a $75 payment on the first session and totaling $2,100 after 10 sessions worked.”

Transparency in contracts will also be improved as per Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez, the lead negotiator who said that “members are also protected by the disclosure of whether they will be required to use unusual terminology, profanity or racial slurs, whether there will be content of a sexual or violent nature and whether stunts will be required.”

Considering the strike is the longest in the union’s history, it’s good to see progress finally being made. Several high profile companies and divisions like Electronic Arts Productions, WB Games, Take Two Interactive Software, Activision Publishing, VoiceWorks Productions, Formosa Interactive and so on were the reason for the strike.

Among the many issues it caused was Ashly Burch not being able to return for properties like Life is Strange: Before The Storm. Burch voiced Chloe in Life is Strange and served as a consultant while non-union associated Rhianna DeVries voiced the character in Before The Storm.

The development team that was working on the now cancelled Metal Gear Solid Shadow Moses Remake has now announced it is working on brand new project that will also center around the Metal Gear Solid universe. This time the game is called The Fan Legacy: Metal Gear Solid. Along with the announcement of the new game, the team said this game will support VR and that wasn’t the biggest piece of news. It turns out the original voice of Solid Snake, David Hayter is going to be coming as well.

The Fan Legacy: Metal Gear Solid is said to be a first person experience geared towards letting fans relive some of the most beloved levels and scenes in the game franchises’ history. The title is said to also have a ton of pieces of artwork that have been made by devoted fans of the series. “As an unofficial, non-profit production, the project is a gift, from the fans, but also addressed to the fans; to share our affection for the seminal franchise,“ the development team said.

The video was also the way the development team announced it had secured David Hayter for the project. This is despite the fact that the voice actor had perviously said he was not working on another Metal Gear Solid project. You can check out the video below and get excited because The Fan Legacy: Metal Gear Solid is going to launch in May.

Former Metal Gear Solid voice actor David Hayter, who played the English voice for Solid Snake, has spoken in great detail about his dealings with Hideo Kojima en route to his being replaced by Kiefer Sutherland for Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes/The Phantom Pain.

Hayter told Game Informer that Konami informed him that the team was going in a different direction for The Phantom Pain. On speaking with English casting director Kris Zimmerman, “‘We’re going forward, but it looks like they are going to try and replace you.’ They tried to do that before, and it never worked. They tried to get voice matches, and it never happened.”

Trouble was brewing for some time between Hayter and Kojima with the latter looking to replace the former. Hayter said, “I had to re-audition for Metal Gear 3 to play Naked Snake. They made me re-audition to play Old Snake, and the whole time, they were trying to find somebody else to do it. I heard that Kojima asked one of the producers on Metal Gear 3 to ask Kurt Russell if he would take over for that game. He didn’t want to do it.”

Hayter doesn’t blame Sutherland for replacing him though he wished things had ended better. “I don’t have any ill will toward Kiefer Sutherland or anything like that. The whole thing could have been handled better and a little more respectfully, but I’m not going to cry about it. I’ve got no particular love for Kojima. I don’t feel any need to go back and work with him again.”

That doesn’t mean he couldn’t be pulled back in to work on Metal Gear Solid titles produced by Konami in the future. Stay tuned for more information and let us know what you think in the comments.

Last week we reported that David Hayter is possibly working on the next Metal Gear game. Hayter tweeted a piece of script between Snake and Colonel Campbell but what got people excited was that the back of the script had some interesting revelations. However in an interview with Metal Gear Central, Hayter has confirmed that he is not working on a new Metal Gear project. However it’s also not a charity but something totally different that will be revealed in a few weeks.

“No. People got very excited, which is great and I appreciate that. It’s not a new Metal Gear game and it’s not a, as many people suspected, a Konami Pachinko set up. But I was in the booth, given a script. Paul Eiding and I played the Colonel and Snake for a little thing which I am really happy about. I was sort of teasing out there because it was kind of cool to be back in the booth recording Snake again particularly with Paul but people shouldn’t get too excited about it, the return of Metal Gear Solid or anything like that.”

Hayter also shared his opinion on the Kojima-Konami split while remaing optimistic about the future of Metal Gear series.

“I can tell you that as someone who is in the business that they are unlikely to leave a valuable title like Metal Gear just lying there and not making any money for them. [Kojima] He is a brilliant guy and a visionary. But now it’s very much like Star Wars now and they hope that it can go without its George Lucas. May be it can or may be it can’t, I don’t know. It depends on the hands they put it into. If they get some upcoming brilliant game maker than may be they will do something amazing. You know, that is the problem of Metal Gear, it’s very much Kojima’s voice and also he quite brilliantly up the ante, technology and gameplay wise with each game. So you kind of have to do that and this crazy hyper inter-connected saga to satisfy the fans. So can they do that successfully? It’s possible but it depends on who they get to handle it.”

Konami has already confirmed that they are working on a new Metal Gear game. We will see how it all pans out and whether Hayter returns in the next game which won’t be directed by Kojima.

The Metal Gear Solid 5 saga has been one of confusion and strange twists, even before series creator Hideo Kojima was revealed to be leaving. There’s the curious case of David Hayter, who voiced Solid Snake and Big Boss throughout the series, not reprising his role as the latter in Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. Instead, Big Boss will be played by Kiefer Sutherland of 24 fame.

According to an interview that Kiefer Sutherland did for GameSpot, Kojima wanted an actor in his late 40s with mo-cap capabilities for the “new” Snake. This is especially odd when you consider that Hayter is also in his late 40s.

Jim Piddock, who voices Major Zero in the series and chose not to reprise his role in the series following an “insulting offer” Konami, gave his own take on the situation in an interview with YongYea. Concerning Hayter being replaced, Piddock said, “That is ludicrous. Seriously, There comes a point where you go…people are either foolish or they are not…it’s just ridiculous. It’s insane.”

He did acknowledge Sutherland’s acting, stating that, “He is a good actor but where is the loyalty?”

Further elucidating on Sutherland, Piddock said, “He is terrific and I did a show with him and he slammed me against a wall and beat me up. He is great and terrific but again it’s apples and oranges, some people like apples and some oranges. He is different from David and its like James Bonds, some people like some better than the others.”

What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will be out on September 1st for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3 with a PC release on September 15th.

David Hayter is famous for his voice for Solid Snake and Big Boss in the Metal Gear Solid series but that does not mean he is only limited to that game series. Hayter is a proficient screenwriter and has also given his voice in several games such as Republique and Marvel Heroes.

In an interview with Fragged Nation, Hayter revealed that he is in talk with some major video game companies for voice over work. “I am going to E3 to talk to the top executive of a major video game company about a project that I can’t discuss,” he stated. A few weeks ago he tweeted a picture (now deleted)  of himself possibly hinting that he was doing a facial capture of an unknown video game. When the interviewer asked whether that was related to the project stated above, Hayter denied and revealed that it was a test for another big video game series that wants to focus on facial capture.

“That actually was a test…probably gonna get trouble for this too….for a very big video game series that wants to enhance the facial capture acting in their game.”

When the interviewer asked whether it was for Fallout 4, Hayter stated, “Well, I can’t say anything but I did not even know because they never told me unless I get there and so I just got there and we talked about what kind of voice you want, you want an accent, this or that and they were like “do whatever…just do whatever feels good”.

Hayter was obviously surprised by that statement. “What is the purpose of this? They were like “this is an internal company test” and I was like why did you hired me. The producer was a women who had this liquid eye liner which is applied for the dots on my face and she said, “oh, can you do that?” and I was like…I guess. So they had a face map and I went into a bathroom to paint it. If you like at that picture on my Twitter, I have accidentally put lines of dot here.”

Whatever the new projects are, we are excited to see where the ex-voice of Snake goes next.

By the way, another big video game series also claimed to enhance their video games with the help of facial capture.

GamingBolt spoke to Hayter about the same along with how he received the role, his preparation and other projects (including a long-running online title you probably didn’t know he was a part of).

"First thing was to cut off my arm. You just can't do the Winter Soldier with two arms. After that, my preparation gets a little hazy."

Rashid K. Sayed: Hello David. How are you doing today?

David Hayter: I am extremely well, thank you.

Rashid K. Sayed: Moving ahead with the interview, we recently found out that you are voicing Winter Soldier in Marvel Heroes 2015. How did you land up with that role?

David Hayter: Well, while I don’t do it too often anymore, I sometimes read for roles in animation/video games if I think they might be cool. When I saw this audition come through from Marvel, I couldn’t resist. I recorded an audition and they called me in.

Rashid K. Sayed: After hearing you voice Winter Soldier, I am happy that you can still deliver the 1998 Solid Snake young voice, contrary to what many people believe these days. So how do you prepare yourself for voicing Winter Solider compared to say Solid Snake or Big Boss?

David Hayter: First thing was to cut off my arm. You just can’t do the Winter Soldier with two arms. After that, my preparation gets a little hazy.

Rashid K. Sayed: I know that you weren’t allowed to give much dialogue feedback when you were voicing Snake. Has that changed with Winter Soldier? Are you allowed to give feedback if you think something is inappropriate?

David Hayter: The process is usually similar from game to game. The exceptions are that, sometimes, you get to read with other actors, and sometimes your lines are recorded out of order, so you have to sort of feel your way through to the meaning of the dialogue.

"Right now, I've got my Disney film (top secret), and I'm attached to direct a fairly horrifying thriller at the end of this year.  I also have various film/TV projects in development."

Rashid K. Sayed: How deep does the character of Winter Solider go? What can you tell us about the relationship he shares with other super heroes?

David Hayter: The Winter Soldier is pretty deep. He was once the young best friend/sidekick of Captain America, until he was tortured, and turned into a mindless assassin. So there’s a lot of pain and resentment that goes into his history. I tend to think that he stays pretty isolated from the other heroes, with the possible exception of Captain America, who saved him from being just a soulless killing machine.

Rashid K. Sayed: You recently wrapped up work on Wolves and I know that you are working with Disney on a new project. What else is coming? Any chance of you writing more superhero movies in the future?

David Hayter: I’d love to, if the opportunity arises. Right now, I’ve got my Disney film (top secret), and I’m attached to direct a fairly horrifying thriller at the end of this year.  I also have various film/TV projects in development.

Rashid K. Sayed: Are you working on any gaming projects at the moment?

David Hayter: As a voice actor I am, yes. I continue my two and a half year role as the playable Male Jedi character in STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC, I am recording a few more episodes of REPUBLIQUE as Zager, and I am supposed to record a role for THE LONG DARK sometime soon.

Rashid K. Sayed: Thanks a ton for your time. It was great speaking to you.

David Hayter: No problem, it was great talking to you!

While she expressed confusion as to Quiet’s design, West was genuinely surprised when she found out that David Hayter would not be reprising his role as Solid Snake in the fifth game, eloquently asking, “What the f**k is going on?”

“I had no idea. I don’t get it. Honestly, I don’t know if anyone knows this story but when we did the first Metal Gear, they were going to re-record it and David actually asked for some money because he deserved it. We all deserved it and they didn’t want to pay us any more than the regular voice over rate. He challenged them to match his voice and they couldn’t. And that’s the thing – he is that character. So I don’t understand…is Kiefer gonna try to sound like him…I mean, I get that their voices are in a very similar place…”

On asked whether that incident might have had an impact on Konami’s decision to drop Hayter, West responded, “I don’t know if it’s…I mean, he’s done how many games, four? It can’t be because this is from 14-15 years ago. I mean, I don’t know.”

So yes, be assured that the reasons for Hayter not playing Snake are still very much up in the air. Metal Gear Solid V will be heading to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, with new gameplay footage to debut soon. So stay tuned.

The recent teases by Kojima Productions haven’t done any favours, but more importantly, it was revealed that series veteran and the voice of Solid Snake/Big Boss, namely David Hayter, wouldn’t be returning to voice the hero in the upcoming game.

Whether this was real or just another attempt to troll gamers still remains to be seen but Konami recently tweeted that we’ll be finding out soon – most especially during Konami’s Pre-E3 Show on June 6th at 10:00 PST.

The moment you’ve been waiting for! Who’ll be the new voice of Snake? Find out during PRe-E3 Show, June 6 @ 10:00 PST youtu.be/JDkyyPex5fc

— Konami (@Konami) May 29, 2013

As of now, anything is possible. Metal Gear Solid V will take place after the events of Peace Walker and will be in two parts – one a prologue and the other an epilogue, ten years later, but both focusing on Snake. Also, unicorns. Stay tuned for more.

Later, it was revealed that Hayter would in fact not be returning to voice Solid Snake/Big Boss, and that the decision rested with Kojima.

Now, he’s stated that, if it were his choice, “he would do this role forever. To hear anyone else’s voice coming from Snake’s battered throat, makes me a little ill, to be honest.

“But the truth is – it’s not my choice. Any and all casting decisions are the sole purview of Hideo Kojima, and Konami itself. And that’s fair. And I’ll get by. I am not lacking for employment on any level.

“But I didn’t want anybody to think that I was intentionally abandoning them. And know that I will miss this job, and this character, very much.”

So why is it conspicuous? Well, because VOs don’t usually make this kind of commotion when it comes to their roles. That he posted this on April Fool’s Day and explicitly mentioned the date at the end of the post is enough of an indication. He may not return as Snake, but Hayter may not necessarily be gone.

Stay tuned for more details.