Why The Witcher 4 "Not Trying to Beat" Witcher 3 is the…

It's hard not to compare CD Projekt Red's games to its most successful, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Improving on previous games in a franchise is expected, but it's also important that each game has its own identity. The Witcher 4 has the best chance of doing just that thanks to its change in protagonist, which lends itself to spinning the game in completely new directions.

The news that The Witcher 4 will stand on its own merits, rather than try to emulate The Witcher 3, is great news for the franchise. In forging its own identity, it'll give more of what is great about The Witcher 3, while also giving Ciri a compelling story and path of her own. The Witcher games need to be able to be great without Geralt and, by moving on from The Witcher 3, gives space for the games to grow.

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By LB Beistad

Ciri Deserves Her Own Story

In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, The Witcher 4's narrative director Philipp Weber revealed that CD Projekt Red isn't aiming to surpass The Witcher 3, as it understands that players have their preferences. Weber goes on to say:

"I think the way we want to do justice to the legacy of The Witcher 3 is to take the philosophy we had during The Witcher 3 - how to make a game, how to really care about these things, how to tell stories - and keep that philosophy.

And I think it's really trying to have that healthy mix of really moving forward and also trying out some new things, but doing justice to what was there, not trying to beat it."

Trying to measure The Witcher 4 against The Witcher 3 would be a recipe for disaster. Ciri is a different character from Geralt, with a different skill set, abilities, personality, perspective, and experiences. The Witcher 4 needs to build on its predecessor's past success, but creating something that is a pale copy of its predecessor is begging for unflattering comparisons to be made. At the same time, it's also possible to move forward while honoring the game that made a sequel possible.

The approach of giving The Witcher 4 enough respect that it can forge its own identity on its own, instead of coasting on past achievements, gives The Witcher 4 the best chance of success while also respecting the legacy of The Witcher 3. By not using The Witcher 3 as a goal to beat, there's less pressure on CD Projekt Red to capture lightning in a bottle twice using the same strategy, and instead creates room to create something new that many players, old and new, will love.

Geralt's Legacy Lives on Through Different Stories

This is a great way to have the franchise grow and mature organically as The Witcher 4 continues on the path that Geralt began. Geralt is confirmed to appear in The Witcher 4, but it will be Ciri's story, not Geralt's, and telling it will require understanding that her story deserves to stand on its own.

Instead of giving players more of the same, these statements make it clear that The Witcher 4 will be unique, but also just as engaging as The Witcher 3.

Forging its own path doesn't mean reinventing the wheel, and The Witcher 4 will likely include systems and storytelling features that made The Witcher 3 so popular. However, this doesn't mean that The Witcher 4 will be a copy of The Witcher 3, as Cyberpunk 2077 was made with the same philosophy and managed to be distinct from CD Projekt Red's The Witcher games.

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