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

A Witcher 4 Genesis: How a Witcher 3 Side Quest Prepared the Team

The development of The Witcher 4, featuring Ciri in the lead role for a new trilogy, began surprisingly with a seemingly unrelated quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Two years prior to the game's announcement, a special side quest, "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow," was added to Witcher 3. This quest, serving as a promotional tie-in for the game's next-gen update and the Netflix series, also played a crucial role in onboarding new team members for Witcher 4.

Philipp Webber, former quest designer for Witcher 3 and now narrative director for Witcher 4, revealed on social media that this quest acted as an initiation for new developers and writers joining the project. He described it as "the perfect start to getting back into the vibe," highlighting its importance in acclimating newcomers to the Witcher universe before diving into the ambitious Witcher 4 development cycle.

This side quest's release in late 2022 aligns closely with the March 2022 announcement of The Witcher 4. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, Webber's statement sheds light on the practical steps taken to integrate new talent. It's speculated that some of these new team members may have transitioned from CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 team, released in 2020. This timeline also fuels speculation about potential similarities between Witcher 4's skill tree and that of Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion.

In essence, a seemingly minor Witcher 3 side quest served as a crucial bridge, seamlessly integrating new talent into the development of Ciri's solo adventure and the next chapter in the Witcher saga.