Snake Teaser For Tekken 7 Was Just A Joke, Organizer Says; Voice Actor Responds [UPDATE 2]

[UPDATE] The Evo organizers have now confirmed that the teaser video for Snake was only "a little joke." The group said it was "not intended to imply a character reveal, and was done on our own, without consulting Bandai Namco."

David Hayter, the original voice of Snake, responded as well.

The original story is below.

Tonight during the Tekken World Tour 2019 Evo event, Bandai Namco announced new details about Tekken 7's ongoing post-launch support. A brand-new character, Leroy Smith, is coming to the fighting game through its Season Pass 3. The character Zafina, who was first introduced in Tekken 6, is also in Season Pass 3.

Two more DLC characters, as well as a new game feature and a new stage will be added to Tekken 7 through the Season Pass 3 as well in between September 2019 and Spring 2020. However, no further details were shared during the presentation.

Bandai Namco did, however, share some light story details about Leroy:

"50 years ago, a young boy was caught up in a large-scale gang conflict in New York, losing his family and home," reads a line from his description. "Missing for decades, he has finally returned to New York, now as a seasoned master of martial arts--and he's out for revenge."

As for the mysterious upcoming DLC characters, one of them could be Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. A brief teaser shown to those in attendance (see below) contained what might be a reference to the classic game character. The codec screen appeared, and it contained a line attributed to Snake: "That was some good ass Tekken."

Commentators on the livestream referenced this tease and strongly suggested that they knew what it was about but wouldn't share more details. Snake is already featured in Nintendo's Smash Bros. fighting game series, most recently appearing in Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Tekken 6 Season Pass 3 launches in September for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Tekken 7, which was originally released on console and PC in 2017 (following its debut in Japanese arcades two years prior), has sold more than 4 million copies.

GameSpot's Tekken 7 review scored the game an 8/10. "Tekken fans will find their next favorite game--one that's the product of decade's worth of refinement," reviewer Peter Brown said. "And while some of this depth will be lost or out of reach for newcomers, there's enough fun to be had outside of hardcore competition to keep players from all walks of gaming thoroughly entertained."