The Witcher 4 Will Have a New Protagonist as Geralt of Rivia Steps Aside

Summary:

• CD Project Red is developing The Witcher 4, a new video game set in Andrzej Sapkowski’s world.
• According to the Geralt voice actor from The Witcher 3, the new game will not be about the White Wolf.
• CDPR will likely either introduce a brand-new main character or make Ciri, Geralt’s protege, the protagonist.

After the overwhelming success of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt by CD Project Red, it was clear the series was going to continue. There have been many rumors about it, including the idea of stepping away from the well-established protagonist, Geralt of Rivia. But those were only speculations…until now. Now, we have confirmation.

Geralt Voice Actor Confirmed The Witcher 4 Rumors

Doug Cockle has been voicing Geralt of Rivia in the CDPR video games and several animated series about the Witcher, including the upcoming The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. Recently, the voice actor spoke to IGN and revealed everything he knew about The Witcher 4 — including the fact that he was not part of its development.

“[CDPR’s] focus for the game is not going to be Geralt. They've said that, so I'm really excited to see what their focus is. I have ideas but that's all they are,” Cockle shared.

Geralt of Rivia has been the primary protagonist of The Witcher franchise for decades. First appearing in Andrzej Sapkowski’s original book series, the White Wolf has become the main character of numerous live-action adaptations, animated shows, and video games. Discarding him is a bold yet questionable decision.

In Geralt’s absence, The Witcher 4 will need a strong and compelling lead character, preferably someone the audience knows and loves. Fans already have several ideas about who that might be, and Doug Cockle is willing to speculate about it, too.

Who Could Replace Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher 4?

Based on CD Project Red’s tweet from 2022, many fans have already had their suspicions about Geralt’s future. The picture shows another Witcher-ish medallion with not a wolf’s but a lynx’s head; it’s titled “The Witcher. A new saga begins.”

Some began speculating about a new protagonist from the Lynx’s School, but the thing is, such a school doesn’t even exist. Unless CDPR wants to discard not only The Witcher’s original protagonist but also its lore, it’s more logical to assume that the medallion doesn’t reflect a new School but rather the new protagonist’s persona.

The more sensible speculation is that in The Witcher 4, Ciri will take over from her mentor and father figure. She’s a well-known character in the franchise who played a central role in the latest books and Wild Hunt, the previous video game by CDPR.

"The best theory I've heard, because it does make sense, is the theory that they'll focus on Ciri in her adventures in some way, shape, or form. <...> They kind of set her up for it in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt because you can play as Ciri in certain episodes of the game,” Cockle agreed.

So far, no details about the upcoming The Witcher 4 have been officially disclosed, but the information from Doug Cockle — Geralt of Rivia himself — is definitely to be trusted. Now, the one question that bothers every fan of the series is, “Who will the new protagonist really be and what did that lynx medallion even mean?”

Source: IGN