David Hayter, the voice of Snake since 1998's Metal Gear Solid, won't reprise his role in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain - and that sucks, Hayter writes in an elongated Twitter post.

"If it were my choice, I would do this role forever," Hayter says. "To hear anyone else's voice coming from Snake's battered throat, makes me a little ill, to be honest. But the truth is - it's not my choice. Any and all casting decisions are the sole purview of Hideo Kojima, and Konami itself. And that's fair."

Konami never approached Hayter for the role, Hayter writes. He found out the production team "wouldn't be needing" him in December, when the recording sessions for Phantom Pain began in Los Angeles.

"No reason, or explanation was given beyond that. And that was it," Hayter says. He was "bummed" by the news. Konami head Hideo Kojima wants Phantom Pain to represent a "new Metal Gear game" and hasn't revealed who the new voice actor will be.

"To be clear, I love being a part of the world of Metal Gear," Hayter writes. "I admire its technological innovations, the gameplay, the political message of it all. But primarily, I love the fans of these games. Two grown men burst into tears upon meeting me at the Vancouver Fan Expo last year. Now that ... Is a rare and excellent role. You know you're making an impact. And I love doing it."

Read Hayter's full description of events here. Yes, it's elongated by Twitter standards, but it's by no means a long read; it's simply concise and quietly sad.