The Witcher 3 is one of the most important role-playing games of all time. Since 2015, fans have been waiting for a true sequel. That will come with Witcher 4, as the trailer from the Game Awards 2024 shows. However, it will not be a classic sequel, as CD Project Red explains in a recent interview.
Finally, there are the first glimpses of Witcher 4: In a cinematic trailer during the Game Awards 2024, you can get your first look at the upcoming game. Right away, the new protagonist stands out: Ciri. She is already known from the third part.
The young witch returns and this time fully steps into the footsteps of her foster father Geralt. However, The Witcher 4 is not meant to be a classic sequel, as CD Project Red explains in an exclusive interview with our colleague Dimitry Halley from GameStar.
Here you can watch the trailer in full length:
Witcher 4 is not a classic sequel, but also not a reboot.
In the interview with GameStar, Philipp Weber, the Narrative Director of CD Project Red, explains that it was not an easy decision to title the game with the number 4.
This was also due to the time between parts 3 and 4. 9 years is a long time in the modern era, and many young players might not know Witcher 3 at all. They want to give them the opportunity to enjoy the new game without prior knowledge.
At the same time, The Witcher 4 is also not a reboot. The story and the world that was built in The Witcher 3 will continue. That’s why they also decided to omit the subtitle, just like they did with the first part in 2007:
This will not be a reboot, not a side project, but the official next big Witcher game. […] The first Witcher game back then came without a subtitle – and correspondingly, we now say: The Witcher 4. Without a subtitle.
Phillip Weber on The Witcher 4 (Source: GameStar)
But you don’t have to say goodbye to Geralt entirely
What about Geralt? Whether we will see Geralt in the game itself is still unknown. However, in the trailer, you can hear his voice as an off-screen narrator telling the story. In Witcher 3, there was also an off-screen narrator in lightly animated cutscenes. It is possible that Geralt’s voice takes over this role.
However, it is noticeable from the trailer that we can expect a different type of character with Ciri compared to Geralt. While Geralt often seemed like a neutral observer, Ciri is much more focused on her own opinion.
However, she is not an entirely heroic figure either. In the trailer, we see her using a girl as bait for a nasty monster. Only when it’s almost too late does she save the girl.
When will The Witcher 4 be released? With such announcements, CD Project Red wants to be much more cautious now, as Miles Tost, the Level Design Lead, explains in the interview. He doesn’t mention a release date, but jokes about a release in the next 20 years
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They don’t want to make false promises. The Witcher 4 is still at the beginning of development, so one should not expect an early release. The Witcher 4 was not the only major announcement at the Game Awards 2024. You can find more exciting trailers here: Game Awards 2024: All trailers you shouldn’t miss
