Though EVO apologised for their misleading Tekken 7 Snake joke, the Solid Snake actor was not shy about letting his displeasure of the move be known. David Hayter, the voice behind the beloved Metal Gear protagonist, took to Twitter by issuing a very firm response to their use of him and his character for a joke not approved by Konami:
EVO,
You also failed to consult me, or Konami. Please do not use my voice to promote other games. Ever.
— David Hayter (@DavidBHayter) August 5, 2019
The initial joke spread like wildfire when a Snake cameo appeared during a Tekken 7 showcase in the midst of the EVO event. It was done in a way that made many believe he would be a surprise cameo – which wouldn’t be that hard to believe with all of the crossovers happening recently in AAA titles. Alas, it was not meant to be.
For those that may have missed the initial apology, EVO issued a statement earlier this week: “Just to clear things up, the Snake cameo video that we showed during Tekken finals was our idea of a little joke. It was not intended to imply a character reveal and was done on our own, without consulting Bandai Namco. Sorry for any confusion!” As Hayter mentioned, Konami was also not consulted, the team behind the Metal Gear franchise as a whole.
So no, Snake isn’t pulling a Geralt of Rivia and invading other games (outside of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) but maybe next year EVO will be a little more careful with their marketing.
