The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt just had its 10-year anniversary earlier this week, and Geralt’s voice actor Doug Cockle has been making the rounds to speak on the game’s impact and partaking in some nostalgic conversations and interviews about the series. Cockle was recently doing a fun little interview where they were going over some of the best Witcher memes from the last decade, but things turned a bit more serious when The Witcher 4 reveal came up.
Ever since the cinematic teaser trailer was revealed, The Witcher 4 has been the subject of a great deal of scrutiny and criticism by some gamers who are unhappy with Ciri being the new protagonist, as well as the appearance of her character model in the trailer, calling the studio “woke” as is the trend of late.
Doug Cockle put things in perspective for the would-be “haters” and fans who aren’t thrilled with the change of direction for the series, by stating:
“All you people who think it’s woke… If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue. There’s a whole rich world of stuff to explore with Ciri that they didn’t do when they put her into Witcher 3, because the story was about Geralt.”
“If you think it’s woke, read the damn books. They’re good, first of all, and secondly, you won’t think it’s so woke anymore.”
He further explained that he “celebrates” Ciri as the new lead in The Witcher 4, and though we don’t know for certain if Geralt will appear in the game, it’s bound to happen. For many fans Geralt is the heart and soul of the franchise, and it’s likely that the majority of their misdirected frustrations with the upcoming sequel have to do with that, more than a concern of it being “woke”.
Cockle remains a major fan of Geralt of Rivia and is voicing the role whenever the opportunity presents itself, like in the recent animated series The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. He has indicated that he will happily play Geralt forever, so long as he is given the chance. Geralt is far too beloved and integral to the franchise to not appear in some state or fashion in The Witcher 4, and don’t forget that Cockle got in trouble with CD Projekt Red when he had merely suggested that Geralt would be returning in the new sequel.
Having enjoyed the other games in the series, I imagine that the new one will be on par or better as far as gameplay is concerned. However, Geralt is the biggest draw for me as for the last 18 or so years I have been following his story and altering his timeline with my own decisions regarding his journey, but I am still excited to learn more about Ciri and continue to develop her character as well.
