Geralt's Witcher Saga Concludes, New Lead Eyed

Voice actor Doug Cockle confirms Geralt of Rivia's return in The Witcher 4, but with a significant twist: he won't be the protagonist. While the iconic Witcher will feature, the narrative focus shifts to new characters.

Geralt's Role in The Witcher 4: A Supporting Character

A New Era for the Witcher Saga

In an interview, Cockle highlighted the series' evolving direction, revealing that Geralt's contribution will be supportive rather than leading the narrative. He stated, "Witcher 4 has been announced. I can’t say anything about it. What we know is that Geralt will be part of the game," Cockle said. "We just don’t know how much. And the game won’t focus on Geralt, so it’s not about him this time."

The identity of the new protagonist remains a mystery. Cockle himself admitted, "We don’t know who it’s about. I’m excited to find out. I want to know," fueling speculation about a fresh character taking the lead.

Clues from the Witcher 4 Teaser and Gwent

A Cat School medallion, seen in the Witcher 4 teaser trailer from two years ago (an Unreal Engine 5 presentation), hints at a potential protagonist. While the School of the Cat was decimated before The Witcher 3, Gwent card game lore suggests survivors exist: "As for those who were not present during the attack? They continue to roam the world’s ends—embittered, hungry for vengeance, with nothing left to lose…"

Another strong contender is Ciri, Geralt's adopted daughter. The Witcher books show Ciri obtaining a Cat medallion, and The Witcher 3 subtly reinforces this connection by replacing Geralt's Wolf medallion with a Cat medallion when players control Ciri.

The possibilities range from Ciri taking center stage with Geralt as a mentor (similar to Vessemir's role) to Geralt having a more limited appearance, perhaps through flashbacks or cameos.

The Witcher 4's Development and Release Date

Game director Sebastian Kalemba, in an interview with Lega Nerd, highlighted the game's goal: to attract newcomers while satisfying long-time fans wanting to continue Geralt's story. However, the wait will be considerable.

The Witcher 4, codenamed Polaris, began development in 2023. CD Projekt Red's 2023 earnings report shows that nearly half their development team (around 330 developers initially, growing to over 400) worked on the project by October 2023, following Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's release. This makes it CD Projekt Red's largest project.

Despite the massive investment, CEO Adam Kiciński indicated in October 2022 that the release would be at least three years away, due to the game's ambitious scope and the development of new Unreal Engine 5 technology.