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 task: a special quest added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This wasn't just any quest; it served as a crucial onboarding experience for new team members joining the Witcher 4 project.
Initially released in May 2015, The Witcher 3 already featured Ciri as a playable character. However, the December 2024 Game Awards trailer confirmed her starring role in the upcoming sequel. Two years prior, in late 2022, CD Projekt Red released the "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" side quest. This addition, ostensibly promoting the game's next-gen update and providing in-game justification for Henry Cavill's Netflix armor, secretly served a far more significant purpose.
Philipp Webber, quest designer for Witcher 3 and narrative director for Witcher 4, revealed on social media that this quest acted as an initiation for new team members. He described it as "the perfect start to getting back into the vibe," perfectly aligning with the March 2022 announcement of Witcher 4. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, Webber's statement illuminates the practical steps taken to integrate new talent.
While Webber didn't name specific individuals, it's plausible that some team members transitioned from the Cyberpunk 2077 team (released in 2020). This timing fuels speculation about potential similarities between Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion, particularly regarding skill trees. The side quest's role in onboarding new developers adds another layer of intrigue to the upcoming game's development story.
