Snake is not sneaking into Tekken 7 (Updated)

This weekend, EVO hosted a few fighting game announcements amid the relentless brawling of the tournament's competitors, and one in particular got folk all in a lather. During the Tekken 7 finals, it looked like Metal Gear Solid's Snake was being teased as an upcoming fighter. Hopes were raised and then, tragically, dashed. 

"That was some good-ass Tekken," said Snake in a codec that played for the EVO audience. The random appearance of a character from an unrelated series usually means crossover is due, so the clip quickly spread outside of the tournament. You can watch it below, courtesy of AllGamesDelta. 

Unfortunately, it was all a misunderstanding—just a joke gone awry that was just meant for the audience. EVO put it together without talking to Bandai Namco and it was meant to be a "little joke". The organisers posted an apology on Twitter. 

Snake's appeared in a few fighting games before, including Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Ultimate, so it wasn't much of a leap. Who knows, though? Maybe all the excitement will inspire an actual crossover. Bring him out of retirement.

While Snake is absent, Tekken 7 is still getting some new characters. Bandai Namco revealed the Season Pass 3, bringing back Zafina and introducing a new character, Leroy Smith. Zafina will return in September, followed by Leroy in winter 2019. 

Update: Longtime Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter was very clear about his displeasure with the "joke" on Twitter.