The Witcher 4 rumored story, setting, and characters
The Witcher games (and the Netflix series) are based on the Witcher novels from author Andrzej Sapkowski. CD Projekt’s first trilogy focused on Geralt’s journey, and many are wondering where the story could go in The Witcher 4 and beyond, or if it will adapt any elements of any of the Witcher books. We don’t have the answers to any of those questions.
One of the main pieces of speculation around the new Witcher game is what that medallion seen in the teaser art is. Some believe it represents the School of the Cat. CD Projekt itself later confirmed it’s a lynx, though the narrative implications of this are unclear.
Ciri from The Witcher 3 wears this medallion, though she formally trained at the School of the Wolf. Still, there are some who took this to believe Ciri might take on a larger role in the next game, or perhaps be the main playable character–and they were right. At The Game Awards, CD Projekt revealed Ciri to be the main character.
Game director Sebastian Kalemba told PC Gamer that it was a “natural choice” for The Witcher 4 to tell its story from Ciri’s perspective, building off the narrative in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
“There’s plenty of room for her and for us, also, to build on top of [her]. There’s so much room for exploration, and because she’s such a nuanced character, the beginning of her journey gives us freedom and so many opportunities to be able to dig in and use [that] for good,” he said.
In 2020, CD Projekt writer Jakub Szamałek was asked by VG247 if the studio had considered making Ciri the main character of a new Witcher game. Szamałek replied, “Interesting question. Would you like to play a game with Ciri as a lead character?”
“I regret we didn’t get to explore Ciri’s past a bit more,” he explained of Ciri’s story in The Witcher 3. “She’s such an amazingly rich and complex character. Due to obvious reasons–well, she’s pretty much gone for two-thirds of the game–she didn’t get quite as much screen time as we writers would have liked. But hey, maybe it’s something we’ll get to get back to in the future.”
While The Witcher 4’s story will focus on Ciri, Geralt will also appear.