CD Projekt has defined why it went with Ciri as protagonist for The Witcher 4 as a substitute of continuous with Geralt as the primary character.
The Witcher 4, simply revealed at The Recreation Awards 2024 with a debut trailer, is the primary in a brand new trilogy of Witcher video games set after the occasions of The Witcher 3.
Talking solely to IGN forward of the reveal, govt producer Małgorzata Mitręga stated Ciri was “the very natural, logical alternative.”
“It was all the time about her, ranging from Saga while you learn it within the books. She’s an incredible, layered character. And naturally, as a protagonist we stated goodbye to Geralt beforehand. So it is a continuation. I assume for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was all the time her.”
Recreation director Sebastian Kalemba added that as a result of Ciri is youthful than Geralt, gamers may have extra freedom to outline her character in a approach they couldn’t with Geralt. This additionally affords the builders more room to discover her character.
“She’s really about to grow to be the Witcher,” Kalemba defined. “She’s about to really type her personal codex, however on her personal phrases. The way in which she really offers with the monsters, the best way she offers with quests, the adventures, it is her personal distinctive approach. And in addition I feel that she offers extra room to have the ability to inform completely different tales right here and there. After all, we need to make it possible for the participant to discover extra nuance as a result of that is what we do. However she deserves that.”
Each Mitręga and Kalemba acknowledged a possible backlash from some corners of the web at Ciri’s position as protagonist in The Witcher 4, however each insisted Ciri was all the time going to be the sport’s foremost character.
“There was an intention behind this alternative,” Kalemba stated. “It was removed from roulette. It wasn’t random. I bear in mind we had discussions 9 years in the past, we have been speaking about who’s subsequent? The very, very prompt reply was Ciri. There are various causes behind that. We have already talked about a couple of. However she actually deserves a stage and we wish gamers to actually expertise her story as a result of she has a lot to inform, a lot to show. The quantity of challenges which can be in entrance of her give us a lot superb power and gasoline to create an epic saga that we had no alternative however to go together with it. All of us felt that that is the best way. I imagine that is the tremendous proper alternative.”
We’ve acquired a lot extra unique content material on The Witcher 4, together with a trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt the place the developer explains why The Witcher 4 will keep away from a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch catastrophe.
And make sure to try IGN’s round-up of all the things introduced at The Recreation Awards 2024 for extra on what’s coming to the world of gaming within the years to come back.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
