Geralt of Rivia will be back in The Witcher 4.
The Witcher 4, the next title in the acclaimed The Witcher series, is currently in the works at CD Projekt Red, codenamed Polaris. Details on the game have been sparse, and fans have been on the lookout for any information they can get, but there has been nothing substantial known about the game until now. Developer CD Projekt Red has revealed that The Witcher 4 will continue Geralt’s story while also making the game an entry point for new players looking to play the games.
The Witcher 4 Will Cater to Both New Fans and Series Veterans
The Witcher 4 was announced back in March 2022 and is said to start a “new saga” for The Witcher series that will be part of a new “AAA RPG Trilogy,” confirming two more games in the series. The game director for The Witcher 4, Sebastian Kalemba, has suggested that Geralt will be returning to the series but has not revealed if he will be the main character or not. He has also explained how the game will progress in terms of story.
In an interview with Lega Nerd, Sebastian Kalemba revealed that CD Projekt Red is developing the game in a way that welcomes new players to the popular series and also builds upon the established continuity that series veterans know and have loved so far. Kalemba stated:
We want to continue in the same direction we had taken, but we don’t want to play the same game, I would say that this is a given. We have some elements of the lore that need to be confirmed, on the other hand, the universe is always the same and we cannot go beyond certain limits. We must therefore follow a very specific direction by innovating. At the same time, it is clear that we have to try to please a new audience.
He further added:
The next chapter will arrive in a few years and after many years from the last The Witcher, so we cannot expect to target only the audience who was already fond of the saga. We also need to create a new community and on this, I think I can say that it will be an excellent entry point for many players, without forgetting those who are fond of the saga and will want to continue experiencing Geralt’s exploits.
Kalemba also revealed that they want to push the boundaries of the game as a role-playing title according to what they’ve already seen in the genre and are looking to address the fans. He also mentioned that CDPR wants to tell an intense story with intense gameplay, mentioning that it wants to go beyond anything it did with previous titles in the series.
According to Kalemba, The Witcher 4 is not going to be released in the next few years, and considering The Witcher 4 was announced in early 2022, the 2025 release window is the earliest we can expect to get the game. Adam Kiciński, CEO of CDPR, had also previously stated that The Witcher 4 is at least three years away, as they need extra effort for the game since it is moving to Unreal Engine 5.
CDPR’s Q3 earnings call also revealed that the studio reportedly has more than half of its developers working on the game. CD Projekt Red is looking to give more freedom to players from creating their character as they wish since the game is an RPG to choosing the storyline that they want to continue.
However, there will still be a certain “path to follow from a narrative point of view.” Kalemba stated that the community’s expectations and how CDPR can deliver and improve on them are very important to it, and it looks to do the same with The Witcher 4.
