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Toss a coin to CD Projekt Red, because it's finally confirmed The Witcher 4. Details are scarce beyond the fact the game is very much a thing, but the studio did tease that this would be "a new saga for the franchise." The internet detectives are already on the case looking for what that means, and all portents so far point to Geralt's adopted daughter Ciri taking her place as the playable character in the new game.
You can find out why the internet thinks that's happening here, but I'm more excited about what it means for the series. Yes, we all grew to love Geralt, dragged out the Witcher 3 adventure for as long as we could, wiped a tear or two off our controllers when we saw him settled in his vineyard in Toussaint, so isn't it time to let the old man rest? He gave us so much, but to drag him back into the fray when his story felt so complete is almost cruel. And Ciri offers so many exciting directions for the series to go.
Blood, sweat and tears
First of all, Ciri is a different breed of Witcher than Geralt, quite literally. Her Elder blood - she's a descendant of an Elven sorceress - means as well as Witcher training she is also a Source, someone in the Witcher universe with innate magical talents. Thanks to her training Ciri can use these talents to teleport (or "Blink"), manipulate time, and much more besides. That means a whole new way to monster manage for players, and I can almost see the beautiful, blooming skill trees already.
Obviously, I would die for Geralt, but the man isn't exactly popular as he roams through the world, getting hissed at by cats and thrown dirty looks by even dirtier villagers. Ciri, with her striking looks and her noble upbringing, would make for a far more sociable hero. She also has a far more complicated relationship with the people of the Continent, having been a princess, a fugitive, a powerful magical vessel, a solider, an oracle, a criminal, and the heir to an empire. Ciri could rely more on her charms and status than the ever-useful Axii sign.
Worlds apart
Ciri also has the ability to jump between worlds - in the novels she even ends up in Camelot - so as well as the previous towns and villages we explored in the previous Witcher games there are almost unlimited opportunities for the developers to send Ciri to brand new settings. She could jump between worlds where no one knows what Witchers are, to some version of our world in 2022 (though honestly, we can't recommend it), and cause all sorts of upset to the past. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt even has Ciri mention visiting a world that sounds a helluva lot like Cyberpunk 2077's Night City: "People there had metal in their heads, waged war from a distance, using things similar to megascopes. And there were no horses, everyone had their own flying ships instead." Imagine the crossover moment we could have there…
What's fascinating about Ciri is that so much of her life has been about her destiny or decisions that were made by her heritage and those around her, so another storyline could play on her rebellious nature and see her reject all the paths that have been laid out for her to go on a journey of self-discovery. Sort of an Eat, Pray, Love thing, but more Quaff, Stab, Teleport.
There are some loose ends for CD Projekt Red to tie up, narratively speaking, as it is possible for Ciri to die in the previous Witcher games, so we'll just all have to agree that her survival is canon, and that she became a Witcher rather than Empress of Nilfgaard. But if we can repress the memories of Cyberpunk 2077, we can certainly overlook some plot loopholes here and there. If we can expect that we can explore the world of the Witcher with new abilities and a new perspective and even drop in on old Daddy Geralt for a side quest or two.
Here are the best games like The Witcher 3 to help tide you over while we wait for more information on the next installment.
