CD Projekt Red has essentially spent the last few years raising Cyberpunk 2077 back from the dead, and now they’re gearing up to release their next Witcher game for next-gen consoles.
Though Geralt of Rivia has been the series's main protagonist throughout three Witcher titles, he could be taking a backseat for the sequel, The Witcher IV.
Geralt will NOT be the Lead of The Witcher IV
As it turns out, Geralt will be more of a side character in the next Witcher game. This has been confirmed by Geralt’s longtime voice actor Doug Cockle. In a recent interview with Fall Damage, Cockle confirmed, “We know that Geralt will be part of the game; we just don’t know how much. The game won’t focus on Geralt, so it’s not about him now. We don’t know who it’s about; I’m excited to find out!”
Cockle didn’t give any more details about the game, but he did confirm that CDPR is keeping a very tight lid on the project. Cockle continued, “The Witcher 4 has been announced. I can’t say anything about it.”
Until CDPR decides to do some more reveals, all fans can really do is speculate, but there is already a good candidate on who could be the lead of the next game.
Who could be the Lead of the Next Witcher Game?
When it comes to the next character who could succeed Geralt in being the lead for the Witcher series, fans have immediately pointed out Ciri.
In the Witcher continuity, Ciri is Geralt’s ward via the Law of Surprise which he invoked when he helped lift a curse for Pavetta and Emhyr var Emreis. Ciri is considered to be the sole princess of Cintra and is also the adopted daughter of not only Geralt but Yennefer as well.
By the time of The Witcher III, it’s been revealed that Ciri has grown, and that she’d been trained in the ways of the witcher just like Geralt was. It’s his connection with Ciri that was considered one of the most central relationships with Geralt in the game.
Since Ciri has all of Geralt’s abilities (and then some), she is no doubt the perfect candidate to lead the next Witcher game. She can fight and cast spells, and she has a lot of room to grow for the player to customize and fit into their playstyle.
Not to mention, since Geralt is her mentor, there’s a huge chance that he could pop up in the game as a companion or a side character. After years of being the lead of the franchise, it would be fitting that Geralt would pass the torch to his daughter moving forward.
If Not Ciri, then Who?
It’s always possible that CDPR could go the Cyberpunk route and have a completely customizable lead that the players can adjust based on gender and appearance. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was able to do that, and it still managed to be a highly-praised game.
With Geralt being the lead for such a long time, it would be odd to suddenly get a sequel that doesn’t continue his story somewhat.
No specific release date has been set for The Witcher IV, but it is expected to launch sometime in 2025.