The trailer officially revealed that Ciri will be the protagonist for the new Witcher saga.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
GameSpot: How are you both feeling after the reveal?
Sebastian Kalemba:I feel relieved, super excited, and happy.
I was visualizing this moment for months and finally it blew up and I’m super happy.
The team is excited and the team really deserves this moment.
We finally don’t have to talk about this project with the codename Polaris.
We can call it Witcher IV.
SK:It was an obvious choice, and I remember nine years ago we already made this call.
[…] So it wasn’t a hard choice.
We decided [to] put the spotlight on Ciri because she deserves it.
She was running most of her life and this is the moment for her to define herself.
Can you talk about the regions where it takes place or at least one?
MM: We can refer to the trailer, right?
It’s far north, in an isolated village.
But a lot of that comes from the game itself, and the assets are actually from the game.
Can you talk a little bit about shifting the focus to Ciri, in terms of storytelling?
Ciri was running for almost her whole life, and she finally found peace in Kaer Morhen.
[…] That’s why she’s the very first witcher by choice.
She decides to become a witcher because [she enjoys it].
MM:She’s [also] younger [and] more agile.
And you could see a glimpse of it in the trailer.
We introduced a chain, so there are different tools and there will be more of them.
SK:Magorzata [also] mentioned the spell.
Ciri is not a regular human being.
She’s a source.
That makes her a special and super-powerful being.
What does it mean?
It means that you’re free to control or at least sense the magic in the world.
And the player will be able to grow with her and help her to make those choices.
I imagine balancing gameplay will be an interesting challenge considering how powerful she is canonically.
SK:Yeah, that was one of the things that we solved at the very beginning of pre-production.
Can you talk a little bit about the monster that was shown?
MM: Yeah, it’s based on Serbian folklore.
It’s more than a little bit [inspired actually].
SK:We pay a lot of attention to everything but [especially] to the monsters.
That’s at the center of [a monster slayer’s world], right?
And Ciri is a monster slayer.
The Bauk is a very special being.
It is a deadly monster that’s complex and intelligent.
He senses your fears and he’s able to play with your mind.
He makes you dizzy [and] lost.
Then he attacks in a moment when [you’re confused].
it’s possible for you to experience it while watching [the initial confrontation in] the trailer.
[Monsters are one of the] most important elements of the Witcher world, right?
[There’s been] so much positively [around] Gwent.
And what I can say is, it’s a part of this world.
MM:We love it and it’s important.
And also we love our community.
SK:It’s very important and we hear you guys.
We hear you and don’t worry, all right?
When it comes to romance, what can fans expect?
Will there be any in The Witcher IV?
It’s a part of the way we make games.
It is a part of human nature.
It’s a very normal thing.
Without that I think we wouldn’t be able to tell the very full story.
MM:It’s an important part of life.
So it’s not just to make a romance for the sake of making a romance.
That’s not the CDPR way.
CD Projekt Red is known for their side quests.
Have you guys thought about how you plan to push side quests even further?
We are always pushing further with each and every game.
We will learn from the previous games and also look at what’s happening in the market.
it’s possible for you to expect us to.
With our ambition, it will be nothing less.
But yeah, we are looking forward [to exploring choices and consequences further].
To surprise the player, and to show them you don’t really have control of [everything].
You think you’re doing something and then it’s the other way around.
We also want to push how the side content and main content [are connected].
And also with Ciri herself [and how her growth is affected], right?
For sure, we will look there to push the boundaries further.
SK: Yeah, exactly.
We want to make them meaningful, and we want to see to it that the consequences are visible.
So you [feel as though] you had an impact either on an NPC or world in general.
[These complex decisions are] why our games have long tails, right?
Because of these choices and consequences [add a lot of] re-playability.
you could experience the game a little bit differently here and there.
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