When Hideo Kojima created 2015's Metal Gear Solid V, his final contribution to the world-famous series before he left Konami under something of a cloud, he made the fateful decision to remove Snake's English language voice actor David Hayter and replace him with Hollywood star Keifer Sutherland.
Fans of the series – and of Hayter, who had been playing the role since 1998's Metal Gear Solid – have unsurprisingly taken a dim view of this change over the years. It's not that Sutherland's performance is bad as such; it's just that Hayter is Snake to many Metal Gear lovers, so having a different voice (and one so famous) simply didn't feel right.
Hayter could be forgiven for turning his back on the Metal Gear Solid series and ignoring the fifth entry, but that isn't the case. Not only did he step in to help promote the recent Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection on modern consoles, but he has also revealed that, eight years after its release, he has finally played Metal Gear Solid V – and he likes it (thanks, Kotaku).
Since leaving Konami, Kojima has established Kojima Productions as an independent studio, producing the acclaimed Death Stranding. He's currently working on the sequel.
The Metal Gear series has lived on, with the critically panned Metal Gear Survive coming in 2018. Alongside the aforementioned Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection, Konami is also hard at work on Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.