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 the lead role for a new trilogy, began surprisingly with a seemingly unrelated quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This revelation comes from Philipp Webber, narrative director for The Witcher 4 and former quest designer for The Witcher 3.

Two years prior to the Witcher 4's unveiling, the "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" side quest was added to Witcher 3. Initially conceived as promotion for the game's next-gen update and a way to canonically explain Henry Cavill's armor from the Netflix series, this quest served a crucial, behind-the-scenes purpose.

Webber confirmed that this quest acted as an onboarding experience for new team members joining the Witcher 4 development. The hands-on experience of working within the established Witcher universe allowed new designers and writers to acclimate to the series' tone and style before tackling the ambitious project of a new main installment. He described it as "the perfect start to getting back into the vibe," perfectly aligning with the March 2022 announcement of The Witcher 4, roughly nine months before the side quest's release.

While Webber didn't name specific individuals, it's speculated that some team members might have transitioned from the Cyberpunk 2077 team, given its 2020 release. This timeline also fuels speculation about potential similarities between The Witcher 4's mechanics and Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion, particularly regarding skill trees.

In short, the seemingly minor side quest, "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow," played a significant role in preparing the Witcher 4 team, acting as a bridge between past successes and the future of the franchise.