Witcher 4 Dev Preps for Epic Journey

The Witcher 4: A Secret Initiation Quest Shaped Its Development

CD Projekt Red's upcoming The Witcher 4, starring Ciri, began its development journey in an unexpected way: a seemingly minor quest added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This cleverly disguised initiation process for new team members provided a crucial stepping stone into the world of The Witcher 4.

Ciri, a pivotal character who was playable in sections of The Witcher 3, will now take center stage in a new trilogy. The announcement at The Game Awards 2024 generated immense excitement, but the groundwork for The Witcher 4 quietly began two years prior.

The "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" side quest, released in late 2022, served a dual purpose. It promoted The Witcher 3's next-gen update and provided in-game justification for the armor worn by Henry Cavill in the Netflix series. However, as revealed by Philipp Webber, narrative director for The Witcher 4 and quest designer for The Witcher 3, this quest also acted as an onboarding experience for new developers.

Webber described the quest as "the perfect start to getting back into the vibe," perfectly aligning with the March 2022 announcement of The Witcher 4. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly occurred, this side quest offers insight into the team's early development phases.

While Webber didn't name specific team members, it's plausible that some transitioned from the Cyberpunk 2077 team, whose 2020 release predates The Witcher 4's development. This timeline fuels speculation about potential similarities between The Witcher 4's skill tree and Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion. The side quest, therefore, not only served as a team-building exercise but also potentially influenced the game's design.