The Witcher 4 may have familiar faces but it's an origin story: 'A new opening, a new saga, a new beginning actually'
CD Projekt has officially revealed The Witcher 4, the newest entry in its epic fantasy RPG series, and the first cinematic trailer shows new protagonist Ciri intervening as a village maiden is sent off to sacrifice. Geralt's adopted daughter and a familiar face to fans of the series, Ciri was at the heart of this game even back when CDPR «were doing Wild Hunt» and, per game director Sebastian Kalemba, «it just felt natural to us and we believe that Ciri deserves it.»
PCG's Evan Lahti sat down with Kalemba and executive producer Gosia Mitręga after the reveal, and Ciri herself was one of the big topics: And particularly the fact that, given her relative youth, she's a whole new window into the Witcher-verse.
«I think it's important to remember that although I personally love Ciri, and there are millions of players and fans that love her too, that it's also not only about sentiment for the old players, but we want to go through to the wider audience,» says Mitręga. «There are many people that were so young back when The Witcher 3 was released so it will be a new experience for them entirely.»
Ciri has that firm through-line from The Witcher 3, her first appearance in the series, but is enough of an unknown quantity that CDPR thinks she's also a fresh start.
«This is just a character we want to put in and give an origin story in a world that some part of the world knows,» says Mitręga, «but this is a new opening, a new saga, a new beginning actually: With that huge respect for players with the [sentimental attachment].»
The idea of this being an «origin story» does feel a tiny bit odd though, if only because we know a good amount about Ciri already, and she was playable in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. But the trailer does seem to hint at her inexperience at times, even through a literal stumble, and there's a distinct coming-of-age vibe to proceedings already, even a hint of something like Batman Begins.
"Definitely," says Kalemba. «I think you have pretty good intuition
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