For the next Witcher, many fans are hoping for Ciri as a new playable heroine. It remains to be seen whether she will actually replace her foster father Geralt.
CD Projekt Red is already working on its next big project after Cyberpunk 2077: The Witcher 4, which at the moment has no real name and under the working title The Witcher: A New Saga Begins
arises. And as the name suggests, it shouldn’t be the only new Witcher game.
Yes, it’s really going to be a new Witcher saga
CEO Adam Kicinski now confirms this in one investor conference quite officially. According to Kicinski, the new The Witcher is currently in pre-production – i.e. in a fairly early development phase – while several sequels are already being considered:
We communicated that there will be a new saga. Of course we are currently still in the pre-production of the first game of this saga. But we don’t just have a new one [Witcher-]game in mind. The first saga consisted of three games in total, so we’re thinking about more than just one title right now. […]
CD Project Red’s Adam Kicinski in an investor conference on September 7, 2022
What benefit this decision could bring: Adam Kicinski cannot elicit any more details at the moment. The decision to consider several sequels at the same time could have a decisive advantage for the new Witcher saga.
For example, the very first The Witcher was pretty much on its own. Only at; only when Assassins of Kings elements of the story were designed to be used in a potential sequel (ie Wild Hunt) to be picked up again. Accordingly, The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3 fit together much more organically, while the first part is often forgotten.
A game saga conceived from the beginning would have another decisive advantage: CD Projekt Red could use a concept similar to that of the Mass Effect trilogy for the new Witcher series. In other words, decisions made in the previous parts could affect the plot of the successors.
The Witcher 4
With or without Ciri – finally give me more freedom!
By the way: Our wannabe witcher Fabiano already has a pretty good idea of what he wants from the next Witcher after Wild Hunt. You can find out what The Witcher New Begins is supposed to do the same and different in his extensive column on the subject.
What we know so far about the new Witcher
This is currently known: At the moment there are very few concrete details about The Witcher: A New Saga Begins. We have collected the most important points for you in the following bullet points:
- The Witcher 4 will not be called The Witcher 4. Marcin Iwinski already revealed in 2017 that The Witcher was conceived as a trilogy – and a trilogy cannot have a fourth part.
- Unsurprisingly, The Witcher 4 will be an open-world role-playing game.
- The story will stand on its own and does not require any playing time in the predecessors.
- A lynx medallion was shown in the first teaser for The Witcher 4. Fans therefore suspect that the game could revolve around Geralt’s foster daughter Ciri as the protagonist. You can read more about the fan theory surrounding the lynx medallion in our article on the subject.
- For The Witcher 4, CD Projekt Red is switching from its in-house Red engine to Unreal Engine 5. You can read about the specific advantages that this entails here.
- The Witcher 4 will not be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. CD Projekt Red has already confirmed that the game will be released cross-store.
Why there is so little information so far: If you’re wondering why CD Projekt Red announced the new Witcher yet, while giving so few details about it, we have the answer: the reveal wasn’t meant for us. You can find out what exactly is behind it in our video on the subject.
20:34
The Witcher reveal reveals almost nothing because it wasn’t for you
How is The Witcher 3 next-gen update faring?
NextGen update should come in 2022: Meanwhile, fans of Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss and Co. might be wondering what happened to The Witcher 3’s planned upgrade for PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The upgrade was postponed in April 2022, later CD Projekt Red confirmed that the fourth quarter of the year is now the release target. This has not changed, as was communicated at the same investor conference. There is still no concrete date, but it shouldn’t be too long in coming.
What will the NextGen update bring? The upgrade is not only exciting for console players. The PC version should also benefit from the planned technical improvements such as ray tracing. Also planned are free DLCs based on the Netflix series starring Henry Cavill.
Incidentally, the NextGen upgrade is free for owners of the PS4 and Xbox One versions of The Witcher 3. This means that PC players should not be asked to pay again. It is best to wait for the official confirmation in this regard.
With the NextGen upgrade, The Witcher 3 will get free DLC from the Netflix series starring Henry Cavill. We expect new skins, armor and weapons – and with a bit of luck even quests.
What do you think of CD Projekt Red considering several new Witcher games at once? What are your hopes and expectations for The Witcher: A New Saga Begins? Let us know in the comments!
