The director of *The Witcher 4* has put to rest any rumors about changes to Ciri's appearance after a new video showcased her in-game model. CD Projekt released a behind-the-scenes video of *The Witcher 4*'s cinematic reveal trailer, featuring two brief clips at 2:11 and 5:47 where fans got a closer look at Ciri's face. These moments sparked discussion among fans, some of whom felt her face appeared slightly different compared to the cinematic trailer. Enthusiasts praised the new glimpses, with one fan on social media stating, "perfect representation of a slightly older Ciri. I'm well happy! She looks fantastic!"
Despite initial speculation and some negative feedback regarding Ciri's appearance in the reveal trailer, the response to these new clips was overwhelmingly positive. However, *The Witcher 4* game director Sebastian Kalemba took to social media to clarify that the development team had not altered Ciri's in-game model. He explained that the behind-the-scenes footage was raw, without the cinematic enhancements like facial animation, lighting, or virtual camera lenses.
"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."
*The Witcher 4* marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of *The Witcher 3*, with Ciri taking the spotlight as the protagonist instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN before the reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga emphasized that Ciri was a "very organic, logical choice" for the new lead. "It was always about her, starting from the 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 further noted that Ciri's younger age allows players more freedom to shape her character, giving the developers more room to delve into her story. Despite anticipating potential backlash from some fans over Ciri's role, both Mitręga and Kalemba affirmed that she was always destined to be the game's main character.
"There was an intention behind this choice," Kalemba said. "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 an interview with IGN about Netflix’s upcoming animated film, *The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep*, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle expressed his excitement about the shift to Ciri as the protagonist. "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 trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where they discuss why The Witcher 4 will avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.
