The Metal Gear resurgence continues with a Hayter-voiced Naked Snake coming to Delta Force
After a long fallow period, Konami's back on the Metal Gear bandwagon in a big way. The Japanese publisher dipped its toes back in with Metal Gear Solid: The Master Collection Vol. 1 in 2023, which after a year of patches turned out pretty good, before this year brought the excellent remake Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
Now it's announced a new collaboration with Team Jade's F2P tactical shooter Delta Force that will see David Hayter once more voicing Naked Snake (MGS Delta's protagonist). Delta Force is a decent Battlefield-style shooter that PCG's Morgan Park liked well enough, even if the monetisation feels like staring into the void.
"I myself am a big fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, like many developers from our team, because we grew up playing this series," says Delta Force Game Director Shadow Guo. "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is one of my favorite installments, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is such a wonderful way to revisit a classic."
Guo adds that "the theme and genre of Metal Gear Solid is just right for our game", Naked Snake is "a very iconic character", and says the collaboration came about because of Delta's release. The Naked Snake skin will be available in both Operation and Warfare modes, and apparently the character Nox is a very good fit.
"We chose Nox as we feel this is the best match," says Guo. "If you look at his backstory, Nox has a long and complicated history, and his fighting style emphasizes stealthy combat and precise timing. We feel this character really resonates very well with Naked Snake."
The aspect of this news that will most interest fans, however, is the return of Hayter. The actor, director and writer starred in the first four mainline Metal Gear Solid games, as well as various spinoffs, before being unceremoniously ousted by Hideo Kojima for MGS: Ground Zeroes and MGS 5: The Phantom Pain. HIs gruff delivery is part of what makes the various Snakes so memorable, particularly when he's grappling with some of Kojima's daftest lines, and Konami has very wisely made him the face of its ongoing Metal Gear revival—and, of course, the voice.
"We are so grateful that the wonderful Konami team helped make this happen," says Guo. "Our team was over the moon to work with David Hayter! Together with the Konami team, we have created over 500 lines for this collaboration, and we can’t wait for players to hear them."
Naked Snake arrives in Delta Force on January 1, as a new skin for the existing stealthy character Nox, and the collaboration will also include themed Firearm skins and additional Metal Gear-styled items.
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