The Witcher 4 Developer Details Team's Preparations for Much-Anticipated Game

The Witcher 4's narrative director reveals insights into how the team prepared for Ciri's upcoming solo adventure. While anticipation for The Witcher 4 continues building, the development team began immersing themselves in the project two years ago through a special quest added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt originally launched in May 2015, featuring Geralt's mission to protect his adopted daughter Ciri from the spectral Wild Hunt warriors. Though Ciri appeared as a playable character in certain segments, a recent trailer confirmed she will headline The Witcher 4 as the protagonist.

In late 2022, CD Projekt Red introduced the "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" sidequest to The Witcher 3. This content update served dual purposes: promoting the game's next-generation upgrade while providing canonical context for obtaining armor inspired by Henry Cavill's Netflix series portrayal. Narrative director Philipp Webber confirmed this quest functioned as an onboarding experience for new designers and writers transitionings to The Witcher 4's development cycle.

Late Witcher 3 Quest Served as Foundation for The Witcher 4 Development

Webber described the sidequest as "the perfect initiation for immersing new team members into the series' atmosphere." This timeline aligns with The Witcher 4's production schedule, which commenced approximately nine months after the game's March 2022 announcement. The onboarding process through The Witcher 3 content provided crucial transitional experience for developers joining the project.

While specific team members weren't identified, industry observers suggest personnel may have transitioned from CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 team following its 2020 launch. Speculation continues regarding potential gameplay innovations, including rumors of a Phantom Liberty-inspired skill tree system in The Witcher 4.