The Witcher 4 Dev Explains How the Team Prepared to Work on the Long-Awaited Title

A Witcher 4 Genesis: How a Witcher 3 Side Quest Prepared the Team

The development of The Witcher 4, featuring Ciri in a leading role and initiating a new trilogy, began surprisingly with a seemingly minor addition to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Two years prior to the game's reveal, a special quest, "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow," was introduced.

Initially released in May 2015, The Witcher 3 already featured Ciri as a playable character in certain segments. However, the December 2024 Game Awards trailer confirmed her starring role in the upcoming sequel. The "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" side quest, added in late 2022, served a dual purpose: promoting the game's next-gen update and providing in-game justification for the armor worn by Henry Cavill in the Netflix series.

Philipp Webber, former quest designer for The Witcher 3 and now narrative director for The Witcher 4, revealed on social media that this quest acted as an onboarding experience 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 The Witcher 4. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, this side quest provides a tangible starting point for the new team members' integration into the project.

While Webber didn't name specific individuals, it's plausible that some were transferred from the Cyberpunk 2077 team, considering its 2020 release. This timeline also fuels speculation about potential similarities between The Witcher 4's skill tree and that of Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion. The side quest's role in onboarding new talent thus offers a fascinating glimpse into the early stages of The Witcher 4's development.