The Witcher 4 Has a Unique Modern Advantage Over The…

Summary

CD Projekt Red's next installment in The Witcher series, Polaris, has the advantage of a new storyline.
The studio has the freedom to explore fresh themes, discourse, and environments with a new protagonist, allowing them to avoid playing it safe.
The Witcher 4 has the potential to outshine its predecessors, benefiting from CD Projekt Red's growth as a studio and the captivating lore and untapped potential of The Witcher universe.

CD Projekt Red's next foray into the world of The Witcher will have massive shoes to fill, given The Witcher 3's undisputed accolades and masterful storytelling. Though set to improbable standards, the next installment in The Witcher will have several key advantages over its predecessor as it is likely to go ahead with a new storyline, not beholden to the complex and knotted narrative threads of Geralt and Ciri.

In 2022, CD Projekt Red announced its plans for a whole suite of new titles set within The Witcher universe. Among those revealed include:

Polaris: A new AAA title, widely considered The Witcher 4
Two sequels to form a trilogy with Polaris
Canis Majoris: a fully-fledged remake of the first The Witcher game
Sirius: a single-player/multiplayer hybrid game set in The Witcher universe

Polaris, which will further expand the morally muddled low fantasy world of monsters and the mutated humans who hunt them, was the marquee announcement during the CD Projekt Red's press release. With a trilogy's worth of experience with The Witcher under its belt, as well as the hard-learned lessons of Cyberpunk 2077's initial tumultuous launch, CD Projekt Red is in prime position to deliver worthy successors to The Witcher 3, regarded by many as one of the greatest open-world RPGs of all time.

The Witcher 4 Should Avoid the Pitfalls of a Retread

Depending on which ending players wound up with in The Witcher 3, and whether or not they finished Blood and Wine, Geralt gets a cathartic and unambiguous conclusion to his character arc. Of course, there will always remain unanswered questions and room for another great adventure for the stoic adventurer, but by all accounts and speculations, CD Projekt Red's new The Witcher saga will follow another central protagonist.

CD Projekt Red Does Not Have to Play it Safe for The Witcher 4

Not tethered to faithfulness for Sapkowski's character development across The Witcher books, a brand-new hero would leave the studio free to explore fresh themes, discourse, and environments. Despite its basis in an existing IP, Polaris marks a sort of blank canvas, with the potential for CD Projekt Red to flex its nearly unmatched prowess in making story-driven video games.

Avoiding The Deus Machina

A less punctuated arc in The Witcher 3 is Ciri, and what role she will play in the upcoming game is still a mystery. By the third act, Ciri had developed her Elder Blood powers deftly enough to drift into Mary Sue territory, and while some posit that she would make the perfect protagonist to pick up Geralt's mantle for The Witcher 4, her strength runs the risk of deflating some of the game's tension. Just barely scraping by against monstrous foes, utilizing Witcher potions, tools of the trade, and cunning are hallmarks of The Witcher, and playing as Ciri could undermine those aspects of gameplay.

Polaris Could Outshine its Predecessors

The Witcher is an IP With Untapped Potential

The lore is rich in The Witcher, with areas like Ofir, Cintra, and Zerrikania begging to be explored, as well as entire Witcher schools absent from the original trilogy of games. There are boundless opportunities for unique and compelling stories that would keep the IP evergreen even beyond the next five planned titles.

Regardless of the direction The Witcher 4 treads with respect to the plot of the previous games, CD Projekt Red is in a tremendously advantageous position. Now eight years removed from the release of The Witcher 3, and following the studio's redemptive Phantom Liberty expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 4 is all but assured to be one of the most highly anticipated games in recent memory, pushing the boundaries of the entire medium and subverting expectations in bold and audacious ways.

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tag Page Cover Art

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 93 /100 Critics Rec: 95%

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Released: May 19, 2015
ESRB: M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
Developer(s): CD Projekt Red
Publisher(s): CD Projekt Red
Engine: REDengine 3
Cross-Platform Play: yes
Cross Save: yes