'Witcher 4 Director Clarifies: Ciri's Face Unchanged'

The director of The Witcher 4, Sebastian Kalemba, has addressed recent fan speculation regarding Ciri's appearance in a new behind-the-scenes video. Released by CD Projekt, the video showcased moments of Ciri at the 2:11 and 5:47 marks, sparking discussions about her facial features compared to the cinematic reveal trailer. While some fans praised the new looks, others speculated that CD Projekt might have altered Ciri's face in response to earlier criticism labeling her as "ugly" in the initial trailer.

Kalemba took to social media to clarify that the in-game model of Ciri shown in the behind-the-scenes video is identical to the one used in the original trailer. He explained that the footage represents a "snapshot" taken before the addition of cinematic enhancements such as facial animation, lighting, and 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."

He further emphasized that variations in a character's appearance are a normal part of the game development process, which can differ across different mediums like trailers, 3D models, or in-game visuals. As one Reddit user, Fehndrix, humorously noted, "Redditor discovers the effect that lighting can have on an in-game face model, is confused."

Ciri at 2:11 in the new Witcher 4 video. Image credit: CD Projekt.

Ciri at 5:47 in the new Witcher 4 video. Image credit: CD Projekt.

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 described Ciri as the "very organic, logical choice" for the protagonist. "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 allows players more freedom to shape her character and gives the developers more room to explore her narrative. Despite potential backlash from some fans regarding Ciri's central role, both Mitręga and Kalemba affirmed that Ciri was always intended to be the protagonist. "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."

Ciri in one shot from the official The Witcher 4 cinematic reveal trailer. Image credit: CD Projekt.

In a separate interview with IGN about Netflix's upcoming animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle expressed enthusiasm for 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 insights into The Witcher 4, check out our trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where they discuss how The Witcher 4 will avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.