'Metal Gear Solid 5' Release Date News: Kiefer Sutherland Is The Voice Of Snake [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

Konami announced today, via pre-E3 video, that "24" actor Kiefer Sutherland will portray Snake in the upcoming title "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."

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Sutherland will be replacing longtime "Metal Gear Solid" voice actor David Hayter. Hayter revealed that he would not be reprising his role as the gruff and disgruntled Snake for the newest installment.

Hayter doesn't seem to affected by the change, in fact the voice actor took to his Twitter to tweet, "Ah well, Can't fault @RealKiefer Great actor, good man. The game will probably still be excellent. Like New Coke!"

But speaking during Thursday's announcement creator Hideo Kojima said that he was moved to change the actor portraying Snake because of the evolution he wanted to depict in his classic character.

"This time, with 'Metal Gear Solid V,' the themes are a little different from previous games in the series," said series creator Hideo Kojima in the video. "We're taking on some very heavy subjects such as race and revenge. I wanted Snake to have a more subdued performance, expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice rather than words."

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The new series in the franchise is set in 1984 making the character of snake older, in his 40's. Kojima wanted a new actor that could "genuinely convey" an older Snake.

Sutherland is thrilled to be a part of the game saying, "It's an honor to be able to play this character," Sutherland said. "This character has an unbelievable legacy. There's a real personal quality to the character that I've connected to. I'm not a gamer, and I even knew about this game. I was certainly keenly aware of the legacy of these games, the unbelievable success of these games."

Aside from voice over work, Sutherland also participated in facial capture sessions for the game's animation.

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There is currently no release date for "Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain" and it is being developed for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. No word as of yet if the new Metal Gear will be hitting the next generation consoles.

Watch Konami's pre-E3 video below. The "Metal Gear Solid" stuff doesn't start until the 10 minute mark.