A fourth game set in The Witcher universe was recently announced by the franchise’s developer, CD Projekt RED. Details on the new entry in the popular series were posted earlier this week on the developer’s blog. Although specifics on the upcoming release are sparse, including its release date and official title, CD Projekt RED nevertheless confirmed that the game will utilize a new engine. While past entries in The Witcher series have used REDengine, the upcoming title will make use of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5. CD Projekt RED adds that the new game will be the start of a partnership with Epic Games as both studios sharpen the Unreal Engine 5 for open-world style adventures. Along with details on the new game engine, CD Projekt RED released the first piece of concept art for the title and showed that the new entry’s tagline is “A New Saga Begins.”
Soon after the announcement, the series’ diehard fans began speculating on the meaning of the game’s tagline and the symbolism behind the mysterious concept art, which features an icon that appeared to look like a lynx. Many theorized that the broader meaning of the reveals was that the new game would follow a new character and not focus on the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, the series’ protagonist and titular witcher. Most gamers think that the entry will follow Ciri, the princess of Cintra and Geralt’s companion. The lynx icon also intrigued fans of the series as it was made in the style of Geralt’s wolf medallion, which symbolizes his witcher school affiliation.
Fan speculation on the title grew so wild that Robert Malinowski, CD Projekt RED’s global communication director, spoke to reporters from Eurogamer about the announcement. While not wanting to give away too much information on the upcoming game, Malinowski nevertheless confirmed that the concept art is a representation of a lynx. The inclusion of a lynx school is a major step for The Witcher series as it has never been mentioned in any game or book in the franchise’s 36-year history. Instead, every witcher featured in the series has been taught at one of the other seven witcher schools on the Continent, most notably Geralt’s School of the Wolf.
The last game in The Witcher series was 2015’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which was released to universal acclaim and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Interest in a new title in the video game series has increased following the success of The Witcher television series on Netflix. Only in its second season, The Witcher television series is one of Netflix's most watched programs.
