The voice of Solid Snake/Big Boss was recast for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, despite the popularity of the original actor. David Hayter voiced Solid Snake in the original Metal Gear Solid and he would go on to voice his genetic father, Big Boss, in later entries of the series.
The original Metal Gear Solid is considered to be one of the best games of its era, even if its gameplay hasn't aged well. One of the most impressive aspects of the game was that almost all of the dialogue was fully voiced. The original PlayStation used CD-ROMs, which contained massive amounts of space compared to cartridges, but few developers of the era took voice acting seriously enough to use it. Not only did Metal Gear Solid have hours of recorded dialogue, but it was all high-quality work that enhanced the experience of the game.
Hayter's performance as Solid Snake shot him to iconic status among gamers. He maintained this status for years, as he reprised the Solid Snake role in Sons of Liberty and Guns of the Patriots. Solid Snake was a clone of a character called Big Boss (also known as Naked Snake), who starred in Snake Eater, Portable Ops, and Peace Walker. Naked Snake was meant to be the protagonist of The Phantom Pain, but fans learned that his voice was going to sound different.
Metal Gear Solid: The Race To Replace Snake
The role of Naked Snake was recast in Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. It was revealed that Kiefer Sutherland would take over the role from David Hayter. Fans assumed that this was a fakeout on the part of Hideo Kojima, but once the game was released, it was Sutherland's voice heard throughout the game.
Hayter explained Snake's voice change in an interview with Game Informer. According to Hayter, Kojima had been trying to recast the English voice of Solid Snake for years, even offering the role in Snake Eater to Kurt Russell, who turned it down. Hayter had to re-audition for the role of both Snakes on several occasions. The Kurt Russel comment suggests that Kojima wanted a big-name celebrity to play the role of Solid/Naked Snake, and he finally managed to nab one in Kiefer Sutherland. Hayter clarified that he bears no ill will towards Sutherland, but he has no love for Kojima.
Hayter would end up having the last laugh, as Hideo Kojima left Konami in 2015, turning Kojima Studios into an independent outfit. Since Kojima's departure, Hayter has reprised the role of Solid Snake in games like Super Bomberman R, and his voice clips were reused for Snake in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If the rumors of a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid are true, then he could even come back for good. Hayter has said in the past that he's willing to return for a Metal Gear Solid remake, and that he'd love to go back to Shadow Moses Island.
Source: Game Informer