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

The director of *The Witcher 4*, Sebastian Kalemba, has clarified that a new video features the same in-game model of Ciri, despite some fans initially thinking her face looked different. Yesterday, CD Projekt released a behind-the-scenes look at *The Witcher 4's* cinematic reveal trailer, which included two brief clips showcasing Ciri up close at the 2:11 and 5:47 marks. These clips sparked discussions among fans, who noted subtle differences in Ciri's facial features compared to her appearance in the cinematic reveal trailer itself. One fan even praised the 5:47 mark as a "perfect representation of a slightly older Ciri," expressing their satisfaction with how she looked.

The initial speculation suggested that CD Projekt might have altered Ciri's appearance in response to online backlash labeling her as "ugly" in the reveal trailer. However, Kalemba took to social media to set the record straight, explaining that the developer had not modified Ciri's in-game model. He described the new footage as "raw" and a "snapshot" taken before the application of cinematic effects such as facial animation, lighting, and virtual camera lenses.

"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."

A witty comment on the Witcher subreddit by user Fehndrix humorously pointed out, "Redditor discovers the effect that lighting can have on an in-game face model, is confused."

*The Witcher 4* marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of *The Witcher 3*, with Ciri taking the lead role instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga explained that choosing Ciri as the protagonist was a "very organic, logical choice." She highlighted Ciri's depth and complexity as a character, noting that her story naturally follows from the saga in the books. "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 added that Ciri's younger age allows players more freedom to shape her character, offering the development team more creative space to explore her narrative. Despite potential backlash regarding Ciri's central role, both Mitręga and Kalemba emphasized that Ciri was always intended to be the main character.

"There was an intention behind this choice," Kalemba said. "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 an interview with IGN about Netflix's upcoming animated film, *The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep*, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle expressed his support for CD Projekt's decision to focus on Ciri. "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."

IGN offers more exclusive content on *The Witcher 4*, including a trailer breakdown and an interview where CD Projekt discusses how they plan to avoid a *Cyberpunk 2077*-style launch disaster with this new title.