When The Witcher 4 was officially announced with a trailer at TGA 2024, many fans were excited and concerned. One of the most common questions players raise is where did Ciri’s Elder magic disappear? CD Projekt Red answered this pressing question in an interview with Famitsu, with The Witcher IV Director Sebastian Kalemba and Narrative Director Philipp Weber participating. Weber said that Ciri was using both the Witcher sign and new magical powers in the trailer. They said they wanted to depict the fusion between Ciri’s power and the Witcher’s fighting style. “The Witcher IV is the story of Ciri becoming a true Witcher,” Weber said.
Weber then explained that the new game would take place years after the ending of The Witcher 3. The man said that the team wanted to pay respect to all the endings, so they couldn’t tell everyone which ending was canonical at this point. When asked about whether Geralt would appear in the game, Kalemba said that the previous protagonist would show up. He then added that Geralt had spent a few years at the estate he obtained from Annarietta.
Weber explained that having Ciri as the protagonist of The Witcher 4 was an easy transition. With the release of Blood and Wine DLC, CD Projekt Red team feels that Geralt’s story has come to an end. Having Ciri take up the mantel in The Witcher 4 is an obvious move considering she has been a major character in the series besides Geralt. Weber said, “In The Witcher 3, Ciri was depicted fulfilling her role as a Witcher, but in The Witcher IV, we wanted to focus more on that and depict the process of her becoming a true Witcher.”
Since Ciri is much younger than Geralt, she is a lot more emotional and impulsive. While Geralt values neutrality, Ciri is still immature and a stark contrast to her mentor who’s a seasoned Witcher. Weber said that The Witcher 4 didn’t have a subtitle since they wanted to make it a new entrance to the world of The Witcher. This new saga is meant to be welcoming to all fans, even to those who are completely unfamiliar with the books and the series.
