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

The director of The Witcher 4 has clarified that a recently released behind-the-scenes video features the same in-game model of Ciri, despite some fans speculating about changes to her appearance. Yesterday, CD Projekt unveiled a behind-the-scenes look at The Witcher 4's cinematic reveal trailer, spotlighting two brief clips at 2:11 and 5:47 that zoom in on Ciri's face. These moments led fans to comment on subtle differences in Ciri's facial features compared to her portrayal in the cinematic reveal trailer. Enthusiasts on various platforms praised these new glimpses, with one fan describing the 5:47 clip as the "perfect representation of a slightly older Ciri. I'm well happy! She looks fantastic!"

The speculation arose in response to some online criticism that Ciri appeared "ugly" in the initial reveal trailer. However, the game director, Sebastian Kalemba, took to social media to set the record straight. He explained that the behind-the-scenes video showcased the same in-game model of Ciri as in the original trailer, without any modifications. Kalemba emphasized that the footage was raw, lacking the facial animation, lighting, and virtual camera lenses used in the cinematic trailer.

"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 is the first installment in a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3, with Ciri taking the lead as the main character, marking a shift from the series' traditional protagonist, Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN before the reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga justified the choice of Ciri as the protagonist, stating, "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 further elaborated on the decision, saying, "There was an intention behind this choice. 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 a separate interview with IGN in January, Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, expressed his support for the shift to Ciri as the protagonist in The Witcher 4. "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 in-depth coverage, check out our exclusive trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt discussing why The Witcher 4 will avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.