The Witcher anime spin-off takes place during the Netflix show's first season, and it’s already been quietly referenced

The Witcher’s new animated film Sirens of the Deep takes place at a pivotal time in Geralt of Rivia’s story. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story 'A Little Sacrifice', it tells the story of the monster hunter being drafted in to help with a conflict between humans and merpeople.

Netflix recently confirmed that it was in the making and will be released in 2024, bringing back game voice actor Doug Cockle as the White Wolf. He’s not alone though, as he’s joined by live-action stars Joey Batey as Jaskier and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and it seems like the spin-off is actually very tied to the ongoing live-action adaptation.

It’s part of Sapkowski’s second short story collection 'Sword of Destiny', which is considered the second part of his Witcher series. Within that, 'A Little Sacrifice' takes place around 1244 on The Witcher timeline, which canonically is soon after Geralt and Yennefer meet in episode five.

This storyline does introduce a romance element, even if it is one-sided, so it will be interesting to see how this enriches the relationship dynamic between Geralt and Yen in the first season. However, as the opening episodes of The Witcher run across multiple timelines, it’s only at the beginning of season 2 when they all meet and the main story begins. The anime spin-off takes place around 20 years prior to that.  

Not only is the story linked in terms of timelines, but it’s also been referenced in the Netflix show as well. In The Witcher season 3, Ciri sings a ballad based on the short story, which you can actually listen to in full on YouTube. "The Prince did sit aside the sea," the song begins. "Blushing with his Siren, at lengths did they try to agree who’d forfeit their environ."

This film will park our first return to the franchise ahead of meeting our new Geralt in The Witcher season 4. In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to watch right now.