A Witcher 4 Genesis: How a Witcher 3 Side Quest Prepared the Team

The development of The Witcher 4, featuring Ciri in the lead role for a new trilogy, began surprisingly with a seemingly unrelated quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This wasn't just any quest; it served as an onboarding experience for new team members joining the Witcher 4 project.

The story begins with The Witcher 3's release in May 2015, focusing on Geralt's protection of Ciri. While Ciri was playable in parts of The Witcher 3, the December 2024 Game Awards trailer revealed her starring role in The Witcher 4.

Fast forward to late 2022. CD Projekt Red released "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow," a side quest for The Witcher 3. Officially promoting the game's next-gen update, it also provided an in-universe explanation for Henry Cavill's armor from the Netflix series. Philipp Webber, former Witcher 3 quest designer and current Witcher 4 narrative director, revealed on social media that this quest acted as a crucial initiation for new team members, easing them into the Witcher universe before tackling Witcher 4.

From Side Quest to Main Game: A Seamless Transition

Webber described the side quest as "the perfect start to getting back into the vibe." This aligns perfectly with the Witcher 4's March 2022 announcement, roughly nine months before "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" launched. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, the side quest provides insight into the team's practical approach to integrating new talent.

While Webber didn't name the initiated team members, speculation points towards transfers from the Cyberpunk 2077 team (released in 2020). This, coupled with theories of a Phantom Liberty-style skill tree in Witcher 4, adds intrigue to the new team members' potential contributions. The timing suggests a deliberate strategy to smoothly integrate new talent and potentially influence Witcher 4's design.