Geralt Actor Dismisses 'Woke' Claims About Ciri in The Witcher 4

Doug Cockle, the iconic voice behind Geralt in The Witcher series, has strongly defended the decision to feature Ciri as the protagonist in The Witcher 4. In a recent video by Fall Damage, Cockle dismissed criticism labeling the move as "woke," calling such backlash "stupid."

"It's not woke," Cockle emphasized. "There's nothing woke about it. [Ciri]'s a cool character from The Witcher, and they're gonna focus on that character, and that's awesome."

While Cockle will reprise his role as Geralt in The Witcher 4, the game will center around Ciri, Geralt's adoptive daughter. This shift in focus has sparked controversy among a vocal minority online, prompting Cockle to argue that it's time for Geralt's story to take a backseat.

"We can't just have Geralt for every single game for The Witcher ad nauseam, out through eternity," he stated. "We've seen the end of Geralt's journey. Blood and Wine was supposed to wrap up that journey."

Cockle expressed his enthusiasm for Ciri's new role, saying, "I celebrate Ciri. I celebrate her being the protagonist. So all you people who think it's woke... [blows raspberry]."

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View 51 ImagesCockle also pointed out that Ciri's prominence in The Witcher 4 is rooted in the lore from Andrzej Sapkowski's original novels. He encouraged detractors to delve into the books to better understand CD Projekt's direction.

"If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue," Cockle explained. "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. But she hints at it."

He concluded with a direct message to critics: "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."

The Witcher games are set post the finale of Sapkowski's novels, with the author himself maintaining a distance between his work and the video games. However, both Sapkowski and CD Projekt recognize Ciri's pivotal role and her readiness to take the lead when Geralt steps back.

IGN has previously explored the return of Geralt in The Witcher 4 with CD Projekt's franchise and lore designers Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda, who clarified how the established timeline aligns with the new narrative direction.