Metal Gear Solid V will be turning 10 in September, but it still stirs up conversation–especially about the fallout between Konami, Hideo Kojima, and longtime Snake voice actor David Hayter. When Hayter was replaced by actor Kiefer Sutherland for MGS5, fans were stunned, and Hayter himself took it hard. Back in 2015, he said playing the game would feel like “60 hours of humiliation.”
But it seems that time away from things has changed his mind. Speaking to PC Gamer ahead of the Metal Gear Solid Delta release, Hayter said he finally gave the game a shot. “I didn’t want to play the game because I figured it would hurt my feelings,” he said. “Then, you know, 10 years went by, and I was like, ‘To hell with my feelings. What do I care?” As a veteran screenwriter, he added, “I get fired for a living…I’m not a child.”
Once he played it, Hayter was surprised by how much he enjoyed it. “I was like, ‘Stop being a baby and play the game.’ So I played it. It’s amazing.” He admitted it gave him a new perspective on fans who once told him MGS5 was their favorite. “I’d be like, ‘What the hell, dude? Thanks. You wanna give me a paper cut as well? Maybe pour some lemon juice on it?’ And then I played it and I’m like, ‘I think this is my favorite gameplay of the series.'”
As for Sutherland, Hayter holds no grudge. “I ran into Kiefer Sutherland at a bar in Dallas, and we had a bunch of drinks. He’s a great guy. No ill will.” With Konami now welcoming Hayter back as the voice of Snake in upcoming projects like the Master Collection Vol. 1 and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, it appears both the franchise–and Hayter–are looking forward, not back.