CD Projekt Red may be taking quite the risk when it comes to a new addition to The Witcher franchise that the studio has done some incredible work with in the past. That’s especially true when considering that The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt remains among the finest RPGs to grace the genre, allowing players an unprecedented amount of freedom in the way they approach its many activities.
While the studio will undoubtedly carry its immense knowledge of the source material and its past experiences to craft a title that is sure to build on its predecessors in meaningful ways, making every fan of the iconic franchise happy is going to be an uphill task.
The Witcher 4 Takes Things in a New Direction
When CD Projekt Red announced that it intended to bring a new title to The Witcher franchise, long-time fans of Geralt’s unique brand of monster-hunting were beyond excited to see what came next for the famed hunter. His dour personality worked well within the grim narrative framework that The Continent offered while his gravelly voice lent a certain gravitas to every conversation he had with its denizens.
However, a recent announcement from none other than Doug Cockle, the American artist behind Geralt’s voice in The Wild Hunt may put a damper on many fans’ enthusiasm for the upcoming title.
Is Geralt the New Vesimir?
Cockle’s assertion that despite Geralt making an appearance in The Witcher 4, he is probably not going to be the main focus of its narrative is sure to disappoint a lot of fans who enjoyed playing as him in previous titles.
Although Geralt taking a back seat in the new title’s narrative does open up a lot of doors for CD Projekt Red’s creative expertise to take root, it could be an uphill task for the Polish studio to craft a narrative as compelling as the ones in which the Butcher of Bludhaven was a driving force for most of their events.
Reactions to Cockle’s announcement from fans of The Witcher games are understandably disappointed even as some of them hope that the story might focus on another beloved character from the previous games.
We already knew Geralt wouldn't be the main character.
— Lee W. 🇺🇲 (@Lee_Vertisce) August 11, 2024
CDPR stated that Geralts story is done with Witcher 3. They are moving on to another character.
If it's Ciri, I might play it. If it's someone else…we will see.
While Ciri would present a logical choice for a new protagonist, it is indeed a testament to CD Projekt Red and Cockle that Geralt continues to enjoy a fan following that other video game protagonists would certainly envy.
A Witcher game without “The Witcher”…sounds about right. Will be interesting to see sales numbers.
— Alea Iacta Est 2024 (@Aleaiactaest23) August 10, 2024
One fan, however, presented an idea that could very well be what CD Projekt Red intends to do with the new game.
They might go cyberpunk route where you create your character and geralt will be the mentor to the character
— chris (@xxfreshking) August 10, 2024
While The Witcher 4 is certainly going to take a while before players can get their hands on it, Geralt’s new role in its story is sure to bring back many fond memories for fans of the franchise.
We’d love to hear what you think about Geralt’s new role in The Witcher. Let us know what you think in the comments!
