The Witcher 3 is one of the most important role-playing games of all time. Fans have been waiting for a proper sequel since 2015. This will be available with Witcher 4, as the trailer from the Game Awards 2024 shows. But it’s not a classic sequel, as CD Project Red explains in a recent interview.
Finally there are the first looks at Witcher 4: You can take a first look at the upcoming game in a cinematic trailer as part of the Game Awards 2024. The new protagonist immediately stands out: Ciri. You already know this from the third part.
The young witcher returns and this time follows in the footsteps of her foster father Geralt. The Witcher 4 is not intended to be a classic sequel, as CD Project Red explains in an exclusive interview with our colleague Dimitry Halley from GameStar.
You can see the trailer in full length here:
Trailer for The Witcher 4 shows Ciri as the protagonist
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Witcher 4 is not a classic sequel, but neither is it a reboot.
In an interview with GameStar, Philipp Weber, the narrative director of CD Project Red, explains that it was not an easy decision to name the game 4.
This was also due to the time between parts 3 and 4. 9 years is a long time in the modern age, and many young players may not even know Witcher 3. We want to give them the opportunity to enjoy the new game without any prior knowledge.
At the same time, The Witcher 4 is not a reboot either. You continue the story and the world that you built in The Witcher 3. That’s why it was decided to leave out the subtitle, as was the case with the first part in 2007:
This won’t be a reboot, a side project, but the official next big Witcher game. […] The first Witcher game back then didn’t have subtitles – and analogously, we now say: The Witcher 4. Without subtitles.
Phillip Weber about The Witcher 4 (Source: GameStar) But you don’t have to say goodbye to Geralt completely
What about Geralt? Whether we will see Geralt in the game itself is still unknown. In the trailer you can hear his voice as a voiceover telling the story. The Witcher 3 also had a voice-over in slightly animated cutscenes. It is possible that Geralt’s voice will take over this part.
In the trailer, however, you can see that Ciri is a different kind of character than Geralt. While Geralt often seemed like a neutral observer, Ciri is much more focused on her own opinion.
But she is not a completely heroic figure either. In the trailer you can see how she uses a girl as a decoy for a nasty monster. Only when it is almost too late does she save the girl.
When will The Witcher 4 be released? CD Project Red now wants to be much more careful with such announcements, as Miles Tost, the level design lead, explains in an interview. He doesn’t give a release date, but jokes about a release in “the next 20 years”.
You don’t want to make false promises. The Witcher 4 is only at the beginning of development, which is why you shouldn’t expect an early release. The Witcher 4 wasn’t the only big announcement at the Game Awards 2024. You can find more exciting trailers here: Game Awards 2024: All the trailers you shouldn’t miss