The Witcher 4 Dev Explains How the Team Prepared to Work on the Long-Awaited Title

The Witcher 4's Development: A Genesis in a Witcher 3 Side Quest

CD Projekt Red's narrative director for The Witcher 4, Philipp Webber, recently shed light on the game's development origins. He revealed that the team's preparation involved a unique approach: a special quest added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This served as a crucial onboarding experience for new team members joining the Witcher 4 project.

The quest, "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow," launched in late 2022, coinciding with the next-gen update for Witcher 3. While ostensibly promoting the update and providing in-game justification for Henry Cavill's Netflix armor, it secretly acted as an initiation for new developers and writers. Webber described it as "the perfect start to getting back into the vibe," perfectly aligning with the March 2022 announcement of The Witcher 4.

This strategic approach offers insight into the team's transition. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, the side quest provided a practical, hands-on introduction to the Witcher universe for new recruits. This is particularly relevant given speculation of personnel transfers from the Cyberpunk 2077 team (released in 2020) and potential similarities between Witcher 4's skill tree and Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion.

Importantly, The Witcher 4 marks the beginning of a Ciri-centric trilogy. While Ciri played a significant role in Witcher 3, The Witcher 4 will finally place her at the forefront of the narrative. The side quest's role in preparing the team for this ambitious new chapter adds another layer to the anticipation surrounding the game's release.