Long-serving Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle has confirmed the iconic monster-fighter will return in upcoming sequel, The Witcher 4, although he’s hinted at a smaller role. For years now, it’s been speculated the next Witcher game will shift focus to Geralt’s apprentice Ciri, who evolved to become a fully-fledged Witcher at the end of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Cockle has seemingly confirmed The Witcher 4 will pick up this thread, with Geralt likely taking a backseat, as Ciri explores her new strength as a Witcher.
“Witcher 4 has been announced,” Cockle said in a new interview with Fall Damage, surfaced by PC Gamer. “I can’t say anything about it. What we know is that Geralt will be part of the game, we just don’t know how much, and the game won’t focus on Geralt. So it’s not about him this time.”
While Cockle claimed he hadn’t read any script yet and so could be “lying through [his] teeth” it’s likely he has insight that many others would lack. CD Projekt is currently developing The Witcher 4, and Cockle is likely to be part of this development sooner, rather than later.
Read: The Witcher: Season 4 teaser reveals Liam Hemsworth as Geralt
Cockle stopped short of outright confirming Ciri would be the focus of the game, but based on the events of Wild Hunt, she is the most likely candidate. After dozens of hours of character development and high stakes questing on her path to becoming a Witcher, it would be a shame to waste Ciri’s battles.
There’s every chance a new character could take the spotlight, but Ciri feels like the best choice to lead The Witcher franchise into its next chapter – and thematically, her position as the new main character would make plenty of sense, too.
What happened at the end of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt?
Prior to the release of Wild Hunt, CD Projekt made clear that Geralt’s tale would wind down in Wild Hunt, and that’s exactly what took place in the closing moments of the base game. While there are several different endings in the game, based on how you speak with Ciri, the accepted “canon” plot sees Ciri survive the White Frost, fake her death, and become a proper Witcher.
In other endings, she either dies or becomes the Empress of Nilfgaard, but neither of these plots would be very satisfying to explore in The Witcher 4. It’s more likely that Ciri survived her trials in Wild Hunt, and goes on to become a warrior with skills to match Geralt.
Geralt, meanwhile, is likely at the conclusion of his time as a Witcher. Over the course of three games, he fought for the freedom of multiple kingdoms, and at the end of Wild Hunt, he chooses to settle down with either Yennefer or Triss, presumably for a quieter life. While this is unlikely to stick, the next Witcher game could see a semi-retired Geralt make an appearance, in a reduced capacity.
For now, we’ll have to wait to see what CD Projekt is developing, and how Geralt will play into the events of the next Witcher.
