CDPR confirmed that they're working on a new Witcher, but they also let us know that it's not The Witcher 4. What does that mean?
CDPR announced The Witcher 4. Or so we thought... we were all certifiably giddy with joy at the prospect of a fourth Witcher entry, that we never really stopped to properly read the announcement - or at least I didn't: CDPR never announced a fourth Witcher entry, rather, they announced a new Witcher saga.
The Upcoming Witcher Is Not the Witcher 4
CDPR's global PR director, Radek Grabowski, took to Twitter to specifically clarify that the upcoming Witcher game is not The Witcher 4:
What we have NOT announced today:- A game called The Witcher 4.- A game exclusive to one storefront.It was our initial confirmation of a new saga in The Witcher franchise. Right now, we are not discussing any specifics in terms or story, characters, mechanics, or plot details.
— Radek (@gamebowski) March 21, 2022
Still, this is nothing to be concerned about, because we're still getting a new Witcher saga, meaning that our favorite fantasy RPG continues. What's more, the fact that it is not The Witcher 4 means that the game is free to explore any storyline in the Witcher universe. It also means that new players will not have to play The Witcher 3 to keep up, and considering that the game is meant to run on Unreal Engine 5, it makes sense that CDPR sees this as a fresh start.
It is safe to assume that CDPR sees this as a clean break from the original Witcher trilogy, so this confirms what we long assumed: Geralt will definitely not return for this one. Does that open a door for Ciri possibly being the main character? Maybe. Or... maybe we'll be getting an entirely new cast of characters - we'll probably find out soon enough.