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[LectureMaster]

The Witcher 4 dev CD Projekt Red talks Ciri fan reaction, playable Geralt coyness, and if the game will honour your previous choices

Eurogamer's full interview with CD Projekt Red after the first reveal trailer for The Witcher 4, including talk of Ciri's gameplay, launch platforms and more.

www.eurogamer.net

---

Does he 'approve' of Ciri being a fully fledged witcher? I ask as it's a bit of a discussion point with fans at the moment, about whether she is or she isn't officially a witcher, whether she goes through the Trial of the Grasses [CDPR has confirmed that she does, in the time before The Witcher 4]. Has he explicitly said, say, 'yes, that's absolutely fine'?

Weber: I mean, I can actually give you a very good answer, because it's the answer that Andrzej Sapkowski usually gives: the answer is in the books. And in the books, Andrzej Sapkowski called Ciri a witcher multiple times, and Geralt called Ciri a witcher in the books too. So I think that basically says what Andrzej Sapkowski thinks about the topic.

---

Sticking with Ciri for a bit, there's been I think what you might call some 'pushback' from some people already on her being the main protagonist, for a range of reasons, right? Some of them because maybe they didn't enjoy the gameplay of the Ciri sections of The Witcher 3 as much as the other parts. Or they believe that she's not a real witcher, even though like you say it's in the books; or they want to make their own character; or they don't like her appearance in the trailer. What do you make of that response so far? Do you feel like that was inevitable?

Weber: I think there's many very valid worries and responses, because I think a lot of them come out of passion, and I think a lot of those questions are also questions that we asked ourselves. So we really, again, say that we are beholden to the lore, the canon of the books by Andrzej Sapkowski, the three previous Witcher games, and we'd want to take that seriously, and we really want to respect that. So all the answers we basically want to give in The Witcher 4 are in line with this attitude.We're not suddenly making up stuff just because we want to. We really want to take these things seriously.

So I can really understand if some people, you know, might have wished to play another game with Geralt - like I can say myself, I could make games about Geralt until the day I die, and I would probably die happy. But I think for me, and I think for all of us [at CDPR], it's also just really exciting to see all the opportunities that Ciri brings us, both with her character, and also by just virtue of who she is, what we can do with her in terms of the gameplay as well. So I think the best answer for us, for those people that really are worried right now, is basically to show them, when we are ready, that we really do this well and with care. And I think - I hope - we can then convince them with the game itself. Because I think actions speak louder than words.

Kalemba: Yeah, well said. And on top of that, just please remember that we are also not only developers, but we are also gamers, right? And, you know, we've started with the second protagonist already in The Wild Hunt. And so there was already a tease. So we really [are] all about making sure such calls are very educated calls. And we really believe, as Philip already said, that we also have so much of a great story to tell with Ciri, and she deserves that.

---

I like their transparency.

 

[stickkidsam]

Well damn that was a refreshingly straight answer. No damning the detractors or anything, just some sympathy and an insight on their reasoning.

I’m still playing through the Witcher 3, so I’m curious if any lore buffs could answer; is Ciri an honorary Witcher in the books or did she manage to pass the trials? I’ve heard no woman had passed them. Is that a physicality thing or some kind of spiritual reason?

 

[Superkewl]

Archived link for those who care about such things - https://archive.ph/xVttE

 

[mayham2199]

Well damn that was a refreshingly straight answer. No damning the detractors or anything, just some sympathy and an insight on their reasoning.

I’m still playing through the Witcher 3, so I’m curious if any lore buffs could answer; is Ciri an honorary Witcher in the books or did she manage to pass the trials? I’ve heard no woman had passed them. Is that a physicality thing or some kind of spiritual reason?

From what I remember briefly reading here she is going to pass them in this next game that's coming out. Basically people just jumping to reasons to be angry before playing the full game which is becoming more and more common unfortunately.

 

[Gaiff]

Lol at the disingenuous answer. What she’s called is immaterial. It’s clearly defined what is and what isn’t an actual Witcher. It’s a job first and foremost, but what people take issue with is the fact that she didn’t go through the trials in the books to get mutations because she would die from them.

Those lots pretend that people have beef with her being called a witcher when it isn’t the problem.

the answer is in the books. And in the books, Andrzej Sapkowski called Ciri a witcher multiple times, and Geralt called Ciri a witcher in the books too

But he never says anything about them not being lethal to her if she undertakes the trials, does he? He never says anything about her having any form of resistance to the mutations, and he sure as shit doesn't endorse an adult woman taking them and surviving when it's just about the worst combination possible. In fact, he tells us clearly that prepubescent boys are the best candidates (and still mostly die), but sure, let's act like Geralt calling her a witcher explains away everything.

 

[EviLore]

“So I can really understand if some people, you know, might have wished to play another game with Geralt - like I can say myself, I could make games about Geralt until the day I die, and I would probably die happy. But…”

The devs would prefer to make more games with Geralt and the audience would prefer to play more games as Geralt, so let’s not do that.

 

[Clintizzle]

Lmao I wish the cunts who did the TV show had this attitude.

#Justice4HenryCavill

 

[Madflavor]

She's going to be taking the Trial of Grasses in the game. It's not going to be handwaved away as something that already happened. We're going to see her take it, her reasoning for doing it, how the people around her react to it, and how it effects her. Let them cook.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Trained in Witcher Martial training and Monster Lore and becoming a Witcher are two different things.

Ciri never becomes a Witcher in the books. She has the honorary title of Witcher. That's all it ever was. Even with her "conclusion" in the books she never becomes a Witcher.

The answers in this interview reek of deflection. I sense a lack of sincerity.

"We're not suddenly making up stuff just because we want to."

Gaiff It's a Lore issue and it's pathetic how they dance around the actual problem.

 

[KimDongHwan]

Well damn that was a refreshingly straight answer. No damning the detractors or anything, just some sympathy and an insight on their reasoning.

I’m still playing through the Witcher 3, so I’m curious if any lore buffs could answer; is Ciri an honorary Witcher in the books or did she manage to pass the trials? I’ve heard no woman had passed them. Is that a physicality thing or some kind of spiritual reason?

yeah! if all devs replied in the same terms a lot of this "outrage" would become obsolete instead of the usual "bigots" answer we get from some other devs.

 

[Life Diff]

Ciri was always a future witcher. It's very clear in the books the group actually view her as the last chance for their society and train her and even amplify her growth through the various concoctions.

So it's not surprising CDPR took the same approach, she's a great character.

Although I'm sure the usual crowd will shout about it being a woman, who doesn't look like a k-pop star therefore she's ugly asf.

 

[Madflavor]

Trained in Witcher Martial training and Monster Lore and becoming a Witcher are two different things.

Ciri never becomes a Witcher in the books. She has the honorary title of Witcher. That's all it ever was. Even with her "conclusion" in the books she never becomes a Witcher.

The answers in this interview reek of deflection. I sense a lack of sincerity.

"We're not suddenly making up stuff just because we want to."

If Ciri dreams of becoming a Witcher, why is it such a terrible, awful, no good very bad thing to see her go the distance to fully achieve it? Perhaps being a Witcher only in name isn't enough for her. We'll get to see her take the Trial of Grasses and how it effects her and the people around her. In the Witcher games we were put in the shoes of somebody who has been a Witcher for years. Now we get to experience someone we care about go through the process of becoming one, how they feel about it, and how they grow accustom to being one. Because I guarantee it won't be all as cracked up as Ciri envisioned it to be, and we'll get to see how she processes it all. She'll likely be the first of a new generation of Witchers. And all of this can make for some great and interesting storytelling that we haven't experienced before in The Witcher.

 

[mckmas8808]

yeah! if all devs replied in the same terms a lot of this "outrage" would become obsolete instead of the usual "bigots" answer we get from some other devs.

I agree with this.

 

[MagiusNecros]

If Ciri dreams of becoming a Witcher, why is it such a terrible, awful, no good very bad thing to see her go the distance to fully achieve it? Perhaps being a Witcher only in name isn't enough for her. We'll get to see her take the Trial of Grasses and how it effects her and the people around her. In the Witcher games we were put in the shoes of somebody who has been a Witcher for years. Now we get to experience someone we care about go through the process of becoming one, how they feel about it, and how they grow accustom to being one. Because I guarantee it won't be all as cracked up as Ciri envisioned it to be, and we'll get to see how she processes it all. She'll likely be the first of a new generation of Witchers. And all of this can make for some great and interesting storytelling that we haven't experienced before in The Witcher.

Because she would die. Her blood is volatile magic and would resist the effects. It is why they used supplements like special mushrooms to aid Ciri during her training. If the Water of Brokilon has a 100% success rate into turning young women into Dryads and it failed when used on Ciri because of her Elder Blood it wouldn't feasibly work. But hey retcons.

 

[Madflavor]

Because she would die. Her blood is volatile magic and would resist the effects. It is why they used supplements like special mushrooms to aid Ciri during her training. If the Water of Brokilon has a 100% success rate into turning young women into Dryads and it failed when used on Ciri because of her Elder Blood it wouldn't feasibly work. But hey retcons.

It could be very lazily written, or they could come up with a well written reason why she succeeds the Trial of Grasses. Considering how well written their last few games and expansions were, I think CDPR have earned the benefit of the doubt. Let's see what they cook up.

The fact that they're actually going to have you witness her taking the trial, most likely means they've thought this through. Maybe the strain of the White Frost mostly drained her of her power. Maybe it's a variation of the Trial of Grasses. We don't know. I don't think there's any sense in getting worked up and closed minded about this when we know so little.

 

[Zacfoldor]

It's a straight answer and it is kissing our asses, so why am I still so damn mad.

Probably because I still think it's a lie. It's a pretty lie, meant to make me feel better, but it is still a damn lie imho.

If you want to know what I think, I think Ciri is the main protag because of modern audiences. She's manned up because the last Ciri was too feminine and appealing to men, and I just can't be bothered anymore when cyperpunk was at best boring and The Witcher 3 gameplay really hasn't held up that well. Geralt made that game, I'm sorry. I know it's a meme, but a lot of the game was held together by the VA.

They have a lot to prove to win me back, but they haven't totally lost me yet. Horizon, in my mind, gets shittier with each passing day in my memory, so I can't...no I won't do another Aloy style strong woman game that I hate, telling myself to look at the graphics. Enough is enough with this shit.

I got Witcher 4 devs over here whispering sweet nothings in my ear while ND is hitting me from the back with no lube. Enough.

 

[Gaiff]

And why do they act like being a witcher who's gone through the trials is cool? It sucks. They become ostracized mutants. They become sterile. Witchers practice a shitty, dangerous, and lonely job with a meager pay. They're not some kind of swashbuckling dashing knight errants adored by the public. No one chooses to become a witcher. Little boys are forced into the profession, but hey, gotta prove that women are just as good as men at everything and have Ciri make what is perhaps the most stupid decision in her life. Have at it CDPR.

 

[DeepEnigma]

“But…”

"it's also just really exciting to see all the opportunities that Ciri brings us, both with her character, and also by just virtue of who she is, what we can do with her in terms of the gameplay as well."

What Geralt could do, Ciri will do better™

 

[killatopak]

The question is how.

It’s clear, she suddenly thought, feeling a passionate arousal of an entirely different nature. It’s obvious. They want to mutate the child, subject her to the Trial of Grasses and Changes, but they don’t know how to do it. Vesemir was the only witcher left from the previous generation, and he was only a fencing instructor. The Laboratorium, hidden in the vaults of Kaer Morhen, with its dusty demi—johns of elixirs, the alembics, ovens and retorts . . . None of the witchers knew how to use them. The mutagenic elixirs had been concocted by some renegade wizard in the distant past and then perfected over the years by the Wizard’s successors, who had, over the years, magically controlled the process of Changes to which children were subjected. And at a vital moment the chain had snapped. There was no more magical knowledge or power. The witchers had the herbs and Grasses, they had the Laboratorium. They knew the recipe. But they had no wizard.

 

[thefool]

She's not a witcher in the books, stop this bullshit right now. This ain't reddit where bots will push fake content on top.
She calls herself as a witcheress as she gladly fucks off in her own adventures, that's literally her final scene.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

Not too familiar with the the book lore but going off ciris powers in the 3rd game isn't she technically more powerful than a Witcher? So why does she need to do the trials anyway?
Can't see the issue with her killing monsters for gold.

 

[StereoVsn]

Because she would die. Her blood is volatile magic and would resist the effects. It is why they used supplements like special mushrooms to aid Ciri during her training. If the Water of Brokilon has a 100% success rate into turning young women into Dryads and it failed when used on Ciri because of her Elder Blood it wouldn't feasibly work. But hey retcons.

Yep, basically they are completely changing the lore. The reason Witchers are disliked so much is because they have to keep taking young boys as payment to try and make them into Witchers.

And with survival rate so bad in the best ratios, you have a lot of kids dying. Hence the hate.

And now they have a fully grown woman taking the trials and passing. Basically it should be a statistical anomaly. I am sure they will wave it away by “magic” , but it is annoying. Not as bad as Witcher RV show but still meh.

 

[DanEON]

I am a big fan of Ciri from the books. Can't wait to play her in TW4

 

[MarkMe2525]

“So I can really understand if some people, you know, might have wished to play another game with Geralt - like I can say myself, I could make games about Geralt until the day I die, and I would probably die happy. But…”

The devs would prefer to make more games with Geralt and the audience would prefer to play more games as Geralt, so let’s not do that.

First, it's "dev", not "devs". Secondly, insinuating one would be fulfilled performing an action, doesn't also automatically mean they would "prefer" doing said action as opposed to another. This feels like a mischaracterization of what was said

 

[Mortisfacio]

Not too familiar with the the book lore but going off ciris powers in the 3rd game isn't she technically more powerful than a Witcher? So why does she need to do the trials anyway?
Can't see the issue with her killing monsters for gold.

CD Projekt Red says Ciri is "faster, more agile" in The Witcher 4, but she won't be OP like she is at the end of The Witcher 3: "Something totally happened in between"

What happened to Ciri?

www.gamesradar.com

"The gap between her being totally overpowered at the end of the previous game and now," reveals executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga, "with the skill set we showed off in the trailer… something totally happened in between." It wasn't easy to pinpoint what, however. "We had to delve deep to consider how we would address this - we have huge respect for the lore, for both the books and for what made it into our previous games."

Mitręga continues: "But this was one of the first questions we found the answer for, and it's how we were able to create this original story which starts with The Witcher 4.

We currently have no answer on the how or why, but CDPR is pretty open about that this is addressed. Now will the reason be any good? Based on CDPR's prior writing I think so, but we'll see.

 

[BbMajor7th]

This direction was obvious nearly a decade ago - and Geralt's story was solidly brought to a close with B&W.

More than happy for them to establish Ciri as the new protagonist - her story has plenty of room for growth and her abilities leave a lot of room for developing the combat beyond TW3.

I didn't enjoy Ciri's sections in TW3 because I don't like being pulled out of a role playing experience like that, but if I can wander the Northern Realms in the same way with Ciri with same great atmosphere, quest design and writing then I'll be a happy chappy.

 

[Bernardougf]

“So I can really understand if some people, you know, might have wished to play another game with Geralt - like I can say myself, I could make games about Geralt until the day I die, and I would probably die happy. But…”

The devs would prefer to make more games with Geralt and the audience would prefer to play more games as Geralt, so let’s not do that.

Western entertainment business mentality and reasoning this past decade is just bizarre ... no other word to describe

 

[Pejo]

Better response than usual from the devs, but I just don't trust it. If you know your fanbase wants X, why force Y so vehemently? Why are they constantly trying as hard as possible and contorting themselves and the game lore just to give fans what they didn't want? Where's the advantage here that I'm not seeing?

 

[Superkewl]

I still have yet to finish Witcher 3 so I dunno, but I dont believe it. Feels like they are trying to have their cake and eat it too.

 

[Bernardougf]

 

[Ocean Dweller]

She's not a witcher in the books, stop this bullshit right now. This ain't reddit where bots will push fake content on top.
She calls herself as a witcheress as she gladly fucks off in her own adventures, that's literally her final scene.

Wrong answer

 

[March Climber]

It's interesting, 10-20 years ago people would usually feel done with a protagonist after a trilogy, but now it seems that people want the same character for much more than the usual amount of entries.

Kratos has been in 8 entries so far.
Marcus from Gears will be in 6 entries.
Nathan Drake, 5 entries.

And what's more odd to me is that Ciri is a well written protege.

I'm mainly bringing this up because it worries me that certain gaming franchise fans might make the same grave mistake that the anime fans made in the 80s/90s when Gohan was given the torch and, thanks to fan pressure, it was swiftly snatched out of his hand and placed back into Goku's. The causality of this meant that Goten and Trunks had a permanent Simpsons-style same age effect for decades, and we were stuck with Goku stealing other characters' earned wins, or at worse appearing in situations he had no business showing up in.

 

[jason10mm]

FWIW Ciri trying to sterilize herself so the Elves and everyone else would stop trying to breed her does make a certain sense. WHY women (girls) can't survive is never stated. Is it the lack of a Y chromosome? Toxic reaction with estrogen? Just their frail little girl bodies? It seems to be a scientific process more than a magical one so I'm not sure the elder blood would be an immediate no-go to the process. Or she pulls a "Water of Life" and can neutralize it in some fashion, Bene Gesserit style.

 

[Bernardougf]

It's interesting, 10-20 years ago people would usually feel done with a protagonist after a trilogy, but now it seems that people want the same character for much more than the usual amount of entries.

Kratos has been in 8 entries so far.
Marcus from Gears will be in 6 entries.
Nathan Drake, 5 entries.

And what's more odd to me is that Ciri is a well written protege.

I'm mainly bringing this up because it worries me that certain gaming franchise fans might make the same grave mistake that the anime fans made in the 80s/90s when Gohan was given the torch and, thanks to fan pressure, it was swiftly snatched out of his hand and placed back into Goku's. The causality of this meant that Goten and Trunks had a permanent Simpsons-style same age effect for decades, and we were stuck with Goku stealing other characters' earned wins, or at worse appearing in situations he had no business showing up in.

Great protagonists are lightning in a bottle ... specially ones that alone can carry franchises ... you can keep trying to substitute them and most of the time it will fail ... the history of "great" side characters failing in solo attempts are numerous...

So nothing different here ... Geralt is a great protagonist who alone and its storys carried the witcher 3 game with its shit gameplay.

As far I know the author of the books launched multiple books and always with the same protagonist. Theres a reason for this. (Im not a reader of the books so if this is wrong please feel free to correct me)

So for me this is one more case of the writers of some adapted media trying to detach themselfs from the source material as a "look Im too am a great writer maybe better than the original one" ... many many try to do this ... most fail.

And even more .... race swapping established male protag for female .. no matter the justification... usually ends in less overall sales if not a complete bomb.

Edit.: and just to tackle the specific subject ... Goku is a fucking great protag and the only other there capable of maybe carrying alone an anime would be Vegeta ... Gohan is so lame outside 2 episodes of the cell saga. Even his new solo movie sucked... So...hard disagree on the dbz opinion.

 

[FunkMiller]

Seems like a pretty decent response to me. Geralt’s story is over, and it finished well. This is the right character to be proceeding with.

 

[Raven117]

Seems like a pretty decent response to me. Geralt’s story is over, and it finished well. This is the right character to be proceeding with.

I’m old enough to remember when everyone “knew” it was going to be Ciri and everyone was pumped for it back in 2015.

 

[Tams]

At the end of the day it's a game and product.

For something of that scale to be successful, you need to appeal to your audience.

They clearly don't understand who most of their audience are.

 

[March Climber]

Great protagonists are lightning in a bottle ... specially ones that alone can carry franchises ... you can keep trying to substitute them and most of the time it will fail ... the history of "great" side characters failing in solo attempts are numerous...

There are multiple opposite examples too, and at the end of the day it always comes down to the writing.

Maybe the case is that Geralt should have had 2-3 more games for some people to feel fulfilled, especially console gamers who, hopefully at best, experienced only 2 Witcher games. At the same time I don't blame any writer for at least attempting to expand a world and it's lore, especially when a series isn't directly named after a main character.

I guess my worry comes from those examples on the opposite end, where series became stale and hamstrung due to a protagonist who isn't allowed to ever grow old, retire, or die.

Edit.: and just to tackle the specific subject ... Goku is a fucking great protag and the only other there capable of maybe carrying alone an anime would be Vegeta ... Gohan is so lame outside 2 episodes of the cell saga. Even his new solo movie sucked... So...hard disagree on the dbz opinion.

Edit: It wasn't just Gohan. Putting Goku back into the forefront kneecapped a ton of great characters in the Buu saga. Goku is seen as 'great' because he kept being pushed into that box like an anime Roman Reigns.

 

[IFireflyl]

Sticking with Ciri for a bit, there's been I think what you might call some 'pushback' from some people already on her being the main protagonist, for a range of reasons, right? Some of them because maybe they didn't enjoy the gameplay of the Ciri sections of The Witcher 3 as much as the other parts. Or they believe that she's not a real witcher, even though like you say it's in the books; or they want to make their own character; or they don't like her appearance in the trailer. What do you make of that response so far? Do you feel like that was inevitable?

Weber: I think there's many very valid worries and responses, because I think a lot of them come out of passion, and I think a lot of those questions are also questions that we asked ourselves...

So I can really understand if some people, you know, might have wished to play another game with Geralt - like I can say myself, I could make games about Geralt until the day I die, and I would probably die happy. But I think for me, and I think for all of us [at CDPR], it's also just really exciting to see all the opportunities that Ciri brings us, both with her character, and also by just virtue of who she is, what we can do with her in terms of the gameplay as well. So I think the best answer for us, for those people that really are worried right now, is basically to show them, when we are ready, that we really do this well and with care. And I think - I hope - we can then convince them with the game itself. Because I think actions speak louder than words.

Holy shit. This is an amazing response to criticism. This reminds me of the latest Star Wars trilogy just sucking donkey balls, and the director came out and shut down any discourse by saying the movies were great and if anyone disagreed it was because of toxic masculinity. I was so angry with that garbage.

These developers, however, actually give people the benefit of the doubt. There are a lot of people that get upset when something that they see as iconic goes through a changes. These guys acknowledge that, reaffirm their own commitment to doing (what they see as) a good job, and they ask people to trust them through the change.

Fuck yeah.

 

[Bernardougf]

There are multiple opposite examples too, and at the end of the day it always comes down to the writing.

Maybe the case is that Geralt should have had 2-3 more games for some people to feel fulfilled, especially console gamers who, hopefully at best, experienced only 2 Witcher games. At the same time I don't blame any writer for at least attempting to expand a world and it's lore, especially when a series isn't directly named after a main character.

I guess my worry comes from those examples on the opposite end, where series became stale and hamstrung due to a protagonist who isn't allowed to ever grow old, retire, or die.

Not nearly much success as fails in this regard ... and I can agree to spice things up maybe when franchises are down ... but not when they are in its Peak ... for me is pretty clear why they are doing this now ... everyone can take their own conclusions though.

And they just had a clear example of what happens when you take Geralt of the main role in the netflix series ... yes the show was dog shit, but even that dog shit became watchable with HC doing a perfect Geralt .. thats how good of a character he is , he could really salvage that turd while they allowed him to. Btw this show was the perfect ex. of "I know better than the original author, let me show you" ... crash and burn .. every ... single.... time

 

[TGO]

I have no problem playing as Ciri, but I don't think the Ciri exploring sexism in the world was part of the lore.
And as Gaiff has excellently pointed out, she can't be a Witcher unless "she's can because she's a girl boss so it doesn't apply"
Which means they're making shit up.
I want the Witcher 4 with Ciri, but not how they're putting it forward here.

 

[Mayar]

This topic has already been chewed over several times on wiedzmin reddit. And frankly speaking, it was in vain that he went into books. If anyone is interested, I will send you the topic, you can read it.
This topic has been discussed for weeks now, and frankly speaking, it has little meaning from the game's point of view. Because they have a license for this universe, and in principle they can do whatever they want. A certain group of people may like it or not, but in the end, only the quality of the final product matters.

 

[March Climber]

Not nearly much success as fails in this regard ... and I can agree to spice things up maybe when franchises are down ... but not when they are in its Peak ... for me is pretty clear why they are doing this now ... everyone can take their own conclusions though.

For me it won't be 100% clear until the game is out for all of us to see. I can't do what others are doing here, which is using personal bias + cultural discourse as a way to equal 100% confirmation. This guy could say anything and everything that would be the best things one could possibly say and it would be met with the same level of ire and skepticism here.

That's not his fault. Him and his team simply have to prove things with actions, which is exactly what he said in the interview and what he should stick by.

They potentially had this vision since 2015/2016, so I have to see how they do it in the end.

 

[Bernardougf]

For me it won't be 100% clear until the game is out for all of us to see. I can't do what others are doing here, which is using personal bias + cultural discourse as a way to equal 100% confirmation. This guy could say anything and everything that would be the best things one could possibly say and it would be met with the same level of ire and skepticism here.

That's not his fault. Him and his team simply have to prove things with actions, which is exactly what he said in the interview and what he should stick by.

They potentially had this vision since 2015/2016, so I have to see how they do it in the end.

Oh I dont think is political/cultural war or something like this... it may well be to some extent but who knows... as I said it.... for me is a guy trying to write his own story and detach his work from the source material .... turning her into a full blown witcher and breaking the books story now puts his game on its completely own lore. Now its his story with his protagonist. Its his fanfic now.

 

[stickkidsam]

From what I remember briefly reading here she is going to pass them in this next game that's coming out. Basically people just jumping to reasons to be angry before playing the full game which is becoming more and more common unfortunately.

I can understand why people are so quick to anger. Hell, I rolled my eyes when I saw the trailer because as cool as I think Ciri is, I’m very skeptical of modern dev’s ability to pull it off.

Unfortunately, it appears Weber is being at least a bit disingenuous if these 2 comments are anything to go by:

Lol at the disingenuous answer. What she’s called is immaterial. It’s clearly defined what is and what isn’t an actual Witcher. It’s a job first and foremost, but what people take issue with is the fact that she didn’t go through the trials in the books to get mutations because she would die from them.

Those lots pretend that people have beef with her being called a witcher when it isn’t the problem.

the answer is in the books. And in the books, Andrzej Sapkowski called Ciri a witcher multiple times, and Geralt called Ciri a witcher in the books too

But he never says anything about them not being lethal to her if she undertakes the trials, does he? He never says anything about her having any form of resistance to the mutations, and he sure as shit doesn't endorse an adult woman taking them and surviving when it's just about the worst combination possible. In fact, he tells us clearly that prepubescent boys are the best candidates (and still mostly die), but sure, let's act like Geralt calling her a witcher explains away everything.

Trained in Witcher Martial training and Monster Lore and becoming a Witcher are two different things.

Ciri never becomes a Witcher in the books. She has the honorary title of Witcher. That's all it ever was. Even with her "conclusion" in the books she never becomes a Witcher.

The answers in this interview reek of deflection. I sense a lack of sincerity.

"We're not suddenly making up stuff just because we want to."

Gaiff It's a Lore issue and it's pathetic how they dance around the actual problem.

Ya see, this is what I suspected.

There’s a been a weird trend of “You can be anything you want” in a lot of writing the past decade. Take this example: it’s not enough to be an honorary member, something that carries with it a great deal of respect. It seems like it will be treated like a barrier to be demolished. Ciri is already a badass but she ALSO has to be a full blooded Witcher. Even if the reason against it is entirely biological and not any fault of her own.

Writing like this ignores the rules of the world so it can glorify an idea and/or character; sometimes with the intent of denigrating the rules or customs of that very world. That’s not to say stories can’t be about overcoming norms or turning the traditions on their head. Plenty of great stories are about that very idea. I think the issue with a lot of modern examples are that they are entirely unnecessary at best, or incredibly reductive (often to the point of being condescending).

 

[nkarafo]

Why even bother with Ciri, i wonder. Literally nobody would have a problem with Geralt. Not a single soul. Not a single unsold copy by those who don't want to play as a different character than the established one everyone likes.

Is their desire to make a game about a different character so great? I get developers should be able to make the game they want all all but... why? What was wrong with Geralt? Why make this huge change on their most important game they will ever release that will make or break them? Even from a business perspective it doesn't make sense.

It's just so odd to me. Either way i wish them luck.

 

[killatopak]

This topic has already been chewed over several times on wiedzmin reddit. And frankly speaking, it was in vain that he went into books. If anyone is interested, I will send you the topic, you can read it.
This topic has been discussed for weeks now, and frankly speaking, it has little meaning from the game's point of view. Because they have a license for this universe, and in principle they can do whatever they want. A certain group of people may like it or not, but in the end, only the quality of the final product matters.

Completely disagree. Just because you have a license doesn’t mean you’re free to do whatever. You are bound by the rules of the world. What unchecked changes do are called plot holes.

Say for example, you allow Geralt and Yennefer to have actual kids of their blood. It may feel good but it completely wrecks the whole relationship dynamic in the books. What you’re doing is no different from fan fiction.

 

[Mayar]

Completely disagree. Just because you have a license doesn’t mean you’re free to do whatever. You are bound by the rules of the world. What unchecked changes do are called plot holes.
Say for example, you allow Geralt and Yennefer to have actual kids of their blood. It may feel good but it completely wrecks the whole relationship dynamic in the books. What you’re doing is no different from fan fiction.

They will do it the way they want anyway, whether the player likes it or not. The money has already been invested, the script has already been written, the development is already in full swing, no one will switch to reverse gear, it's too late.

 

[March Climber]

Oh I dont think is political/cultural war or something like this... it may well be to some extent but who knows... as I said it.... for me is a guy trying to write his own story and detach his work from the source material .... turning her into a full blown witcher and breaking the books story now puts his game on its completely own lore. Now its his story with his protagonist. Its his fanfic now.

Regardless of reason, you and plenty of others have already decided what you feel it is going to be. All I'm saying is that I haven't decided until I fully see the evidence and results of everything they have to show.

 

[killatopak]

They will do it the way they want anyway, whether the player likes it or not. The money has already been invested, the script has already been written, the development is already in full swing, no one will switch to reverse gear, it's too late.

Sounds like a recipe for failure. They better pray people actually buy their games cause their choice is what matters whether they like it or not.