In 2013, Konami announced that ’24’ actor Kiefer Sutherland would playing the role of Snake in the new string of ‘Metal Gear Solid’ games. However, a recent interview with series creator Hideo Kojima has revealed that Snake “won’t really speak much at all” in the upcoming ‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’.
According to Kojima during an IGN interview, making Snake more of silent this time around was an intentional design choice.
“I’ve said it many times, but I understand why people feel Snake is cool and admire him,” Kojima told IGN. “In reality, though, Snake is and always has been nothing more than an extension of the player. He’s your alter ego. Therefore, I made a very conscious effort this time to bring Snake closer to the player’s perspective. As much as possible, Snake will act based on the player rather than doing things like making spontaneous comments or flirting with women.”
“In fact,” Kojima continued, “this time, Snake won’t really speak much at all. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an open world game focused on giving freedom to the player who will drive Snake’s actions. Snake himself will be more of a silent protagonist similar to Mad Max in Mad Max 2. It’s the characters around him who will expand the story.”
This design choice stands in stark contrast to previous ‘Metal Gear Solid’ games, which typically featured Snake as a major contributor to the dialogue.
On top of this news, Kojima also stated that ‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’ would actually be his final game in the ‘Metal Gear’ saga.
“I always say, ‘This will be my last Metal Gear,'” Kojima said. “But the games in the series that I’ve personally designed and produced–Metal Gear on MSX, MG2, MGS1, 2, 3, 4, Peace Walker, and now MGSV–are what constitute a single ‘Metal Gear Saga.’ With MGSV, I’m finally closing the loop on that saga.”
“In that sense, this will be the final ‘Metal Gear Solid,'” Kojima explained further. “Even if the ‘Metal Gear’ franchise continues, this is the last ‘Metal Gear.'”
‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’ is scheduled to release on PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on September 1. A Windows PC version is set to follow on September 15.
