Geralt of Rivia has led the Witcher franchise for three mainline games. When the fourth game was announced at the Game Awards, it was revealed that his protégé Ciri would take over for a new trilogy.
As expected, many people online were angry that the game would have a female lead, but the developers were not surprised.
Witcher Devs were Expecting Backlash
Talking to Video Games Chronicle, narrative director Phillipp Weber explained that the team was aware that there could be backlash, and they were almost sure it would happen if Ciri was revealed to be the lead of the new game. He says, “I think we definitely knew it could be controversial for some people because, of course, in the previous three Witcher games, Geralt was the protagonist, and I think everyone really loved playing as Geralt.”
If anything, Weber is sympathetic to the Geralt fans and tries to meet them at their level. He continues, “I really loved playing as Geralt, so I think we’re aware that if some people think right now that they would still prefer to be Geralt, I do think that’s a legitimate concern, so if this is where that concern is coming from, that’s valid.”
Though there were a lot of disappointed fans, Weber explains that they had been planning for Ciri to take over the franchise for a while. “This decision to have Ciri as a protagonist wasn’t made yesterday; we started making this a very long time ago,” said Weber.
Ciri and Geralt
click to enlargeAnyone who paid attention to the story of The Witcher III has said that it was only natural for Ciri to take over, seeing as that was one of the closing points of the game. Even in the novels, Ciri was set up by writer Andrzej Sapkowski as the second protagonist.
With Ciri as the new lead, the franchise will be open to exploring more of her story. Weber continues, “Ciri being at the beginning of her journey as a Witcher, also lets us tell new stories of what it means to become a Witcher. So, for those people who are worried right now, if that comes from a place of passion, I want to say I think the next time we show the game, our goal is to show and prove that Ciri can be a worthy protagonist for The Witcher 4.”
As far as the rest goes, no official gameplay has been revealed for The Witcher 4. The cinematic reveal hints at how different Ciri’s skill set is from Geralt. Her eyes turned a different shade, suggesting she could have powers that enable night vision. It’s also revealed that Ciri has a chain attached to a gauntlet—not unlike the Blades of Chaos from God of War—and she can use it to trap monsters and even channel magic through the chain to attack.
It’s unclear when the next reveal for The Witcher IV will be, but the reactions to Ciri have been mostly positive. No release date has been set for the game, but fans expect it to come out sometime in the future for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.
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