David Hayter Returns: Solid Snake Becomes a Permanent ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ Operator

'Rainbow Six Siege' (Image: Ubisoft)

Solid Snake is becoming a permanent operator in Rainbow Six Siege as part of Operation Silent Hunt, with David Hayter back playing the role.

Hayter’s return is one reason this collaboration will hit fans so much harder; he was the first person to define Snake’s gritty growl in 1998’s Metal Gear Solid, and he continued that definition throughout the series (Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, Peace Walker) until he was removed and relegated to cameo appearances and reused dialogue in Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.

Creative director Joshua Mills told GameSpot, “For us, it was really a core objective to get Hayter for the English VO, because it’s just, again, very iconic, and we really wanted to be able to deliver that as far as the English VO.”

As such, it will be huge to hear him deliver an all-new, full-voiced performance. Ubisoft has taken pains to position Hayter’s return as crucial to making this version of Snake “real” in Siege rather than just a shell.

With this update, Snake will finally share a game with Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher (Zero). Operation Silent Hunt has Zero call Snake for a personal mission before exiting the season’s main storyline. “I think what’s unique about Year 11 Season 1 is it’s a one-off kind of story element that happens where Zero calls in a favor to Snake, and Snake answers that call and helps him with a personal mission. At the end of Year 11 Season 1, both are, narratively, actually being written out of the story at that point. They’ll still obviously be playable in the game and be part of the roster, but the reality is they come together for this very key moment, and then move on,” Mills told GameSpot.

Siege’s Year 11 roadmap is a big one, featuring new modes, updates, anti-cheat improvements and a future Calyspo Casino map. Snake’s arrival means that Siege is heavily leaning into these big-name crossovers to keep the roster and story forever evolving.