'Witcher 4 Director Clarifies: Ciri's Face Unchanged'

In a recent update from CD Projekt, the director of The Witcher 4, Sebastian Kalemba, has addressed fan speculation regarding changes to Ciri's appearance. A behind-the-scenes video released by the studio showcased two brief clips of Ciri at the 2:11 and 5:47 marks, sparking discussions among fans who noticed slight differences in her facial features compared to the cinematic reveal trailer. Enthusiasts on social media platforms praised these new looks, with one fan describing the Ciri at the 5:47 mark as a "perfect representation of a slightly older Ciri."

However, some fans speculated that CD Projekt might have altered Ciri's in-game model in response to perceived backlash about her appearance in the initial trailer. Kalemba quickly dispelled these rumors on social media, stating, "The behind-the-scenes video features the same in-game model of Ciri as seen in the original trailer. We have not modified it. What you’re seeing is raw footage — without facial animation, lighting, or virtual camera lenses. While it’s still in-engine, it represents a work-in-progress snapshot taken before we applied cinematic touches for the purpose of that video."

Kalemba emphasized that the variations observed are typical during the development process, where a character's appearance can differ based on the medium — be it a trailer, a 3D model, or in-game visuals. This clarification was humorously echoed by a commenter on the Witcher subreddit, who remarked, "Redditor discovers the effect that lighting can have on an in-game face model, is confused."

The Witcher 4 marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3, with Ciri taking center stage as the protagonist instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga explained the decision to focus on Ciri, stating, "It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her."

Kalemba added that Ciri's younger age compared to Geralt provides players with more freedom to shape her character, offering developers a broader canvas to explore her story. Despite potential backlash from some quarters about Ciri's role, both Mitręga and Kalemba affirmed that she was always intended to be the main character.

Kalemba reiterated the deliberate choice, saying, "There was an intention behind this choice. It was far from roulette. It wasn't random. I remember we had discussions nine years ago, we were talking about who's next? The very, very instant answer was Ciri. There are many reasons behind that. We've already mentioned a few. But she really deserves a stage and we want players to really experience her story because she has so much to tell, so much to prove. The amount of challenges that are in front of her give us so much amazing energy and fuel to create an epic saga that we had no choice but to go with it. We all felt that this is the way. I believe this is the super right choice."

Even Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, supported the shift to Ciri in an interview with IGN regarding Netflix's upcoming animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep. He expressed excitement about the change, noting, "I'm really excited. I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the Saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done."

For more on The Witcher 4, including a trailer breakdown and insights on how CD Projekt aims to avoid a repeat of the Cyberpunk 2077 launch issues, check out our exclusive content.