A Witcher's Journey: How a Witcher 3 Side Quest Prepared the Team for Witcher 4

The development of The Witcher 4, featuring Ciri as the protagonist and launching a new trilogy, began surprisingly with a seemingly unrelated quest in The Witcher 3. This cleverly disguised initiation process provided a smooth transition for new team members joining the project.

Initially released in May 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt established Ciri as a key character, though Geralt remained the central figure. However, the Game Awards 2024 trailer confirmed Ciri's starring role in The Witcher 4.

The pivotal piece in this transition was the "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" side quest, added to The Witcher 3 in late 2022. While ostensibly promoting the game's next-gen update and providing in-universe justification for Henry Cavill's Netflix armor, Philipp Webber, The Witcher 3's quest designer and The Witcher 4's narrative director, revealed its true purpose.

This side quest served as an onboarding experience 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. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, the side quest provides insight into the team's practical integration process.

While Webber didn't name specific individuals, some speculate that these new team members may have transitioned from the Cyberpunk 2077 team (released in 2020). This timing also fuels speculation about potential similarities between The Witcher 4's skill tree and Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion. The side quest, therefore, served not only as a training ground but also as a subtle hint at the game's future direction.