The director of The Witcher 4 has clarified that a new video features the same in-game model of Ciri, dispelling rumors that her face looked different after some fans noticed variations in a recent behind-the-scenes look at the game's cinematic reveal trailer. The video, released by CD Projekt, included two brief clips showcasing Ciri up close at the 2:11 and 5:47 marks, which led to speculation and comments about her appearance.
Fans had mixed reactions, with some expressing concerns that Ciri looked "ugly" in the reveal trailer, while others were overwhelmingly positive about the new clips, suggesting that CD Projekt might have altered her face in response to feedback. However, game director Sebastian Kalemba took to social media to clarify that the developer had not modified Ciri’s in-game model. He explained that the new footage was a "snapshot" taken before applying cinematic enhancements seen in the reveal video.
“The behind-the-scenes video features the same in-game model of Ciri as seen in the original trailer,” Kalemba stated. “We have not modified it. What you’re seeing is raw footage — without facial animation, lighting, or virtual camera lenses. While it’s still in-engine, it represents a work-in-progress snapshot taken before we applied cinematic touches for the purpose of that video. This variation is a natural part of the game development process. At this point, any character's appearance may vary depending on the medium — whether it’s in a trailer, a 3D model, or in-game.”
One fan, Fehndrix, humorously remarked on the Witcher subreddit, “Redditor discovers the effect that lighting can have on an in-game face model, is confused,” highlighting the role that different lighting and rendering techniques can play in how characters appear.
The Witcher 4 marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3, with Ciri taking the lead role instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga emphasized that choosing Ciri as the protagonist was a natural and logical decision. “It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it’s like she was meant to be. That was always her.”
Kalemba added that Ciri's younger age compared to Geralt offers players more freedom to shape her character and provides the developers with ample room to delve deeper into her story. Despite potential backlash regarding Ciri’s role, both Mitręga and Kalemba affirmed that she was always intended to be the main character. “There was an intention behind this choice,” Kalemba explained. “It was far from roulette. It wasn't random. I remember we had discussions nine years ago, we were talking about who's next? The very, very instant answer was Ciri. There are many reasons behind that. We've already mentioned a few. But she really deserves a stage and we want players to really experience her story because she has so much to tell, so much to prove. The amount of challenges that are in front of her give us so much amazing energy and fuel to create an epic saga that we had no choice but to go with it. We all felt that this is the way. I believe this is the super right choice.”
In a January interview with IGN, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle expressed his enthusiasm for the shift to Ciri as the protagonist in The Witcher 4. “I'm really excited,” he said. “I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the Saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done.”
For more on The Witcher 4, check out our exclusive content, including a trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where they discuss how they plan to avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.
