Summary
Geralt of Rivia might return inThe Witcher 4, at least according to game director Sebastian Kalemb. CD Projekt RED has no less than six new projects in the works as of this writing, with three of them being connected to its massively successfulThe Witcherfranchise. In addition to aWitchermultiplayer spin-off and a modern remake of the originalWitchergame,CDPR is working on a brand-new mainline entrythat was announced last year under the working title of “Project Polaris.”
Very little is officially known about this newWitchertitle, save that it will serve as the start of a new game trilogy and is being built in Unreal Engine 5 instead of CD Projekt RED’s proprietary REDengine as part of a new partnership with Epic Games. CDPR itself has gone back and forth about whether or not Polaris and its two planned sequels will be adirect continuation of the originalWitchertrilogyor the start of a completely new storyline, with the developer stating that while the game is being calledThe Witcher 4in promotional materials, the finished product won’t have a number in its title.
Another big question fans are asking is ifGeralt of Rivia, the gruff-but-noble monster hunter fans controlled in CDPR’s first threeWitcherRPGs, will return in some capacity inThe Witcher 4. In a recent interview with Lega Nerd (as translated byInsider Gaming),The Witcher 4game director Sebastian Kalemb seemingly suggested that the White Wolf could very well appear in the next game, but didn’t specify if Geralt would be the main character once again or simply return in a supporting role.
Kalemb says that his team is looking to makeThe Witcher 4a great starting point for a new community of players, while still remembering the legions of fans who have played through Geralt’s previous three adventures. There has been plenty of debate aboutwhether Geralt should returnfollowing his apparent retirement from monster-slaying at the end ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and many suspect thatThe Witcher 4and its follow-ups will look to shift focus toward a new set of characters.
Even Sebastian Kalemb admits thatThe Witcher 4won’t be released for at least a few more years, so fans likely won’t get a confirmation of Geralt’s return for quite some time yet. There are still plenty of questions about where Geralt would fit in the new storyline that CDPR is beginning, but Kalemb believes thatThe Witcher 4should strike a balance between honoring the games that came before while marking a new chapter in CDPR’s now-legendary medieval RPG franchise - even if the spotlight is moving away from the first trilogy’s grizzled monster hunter.
The Witcher
The Witcher is a 3D action RPG series developed by CD Projekt Red featuring the exploits of Geralt of Rivia. Steeped in fantasy, The Witcher series is based on the books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
