The director of The Witcher 4 has put to rest any speculation about changes to Ciri's appearance, confirming that the in-game model remains unchanged from what was initially shown. Yesterday, CD Projekt released a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the cinematic reveal trailer for The Witcher 4, which included two clips at 2:11 and 5:47 that offered a closer look at Ciri. Fans quickly noticed a slight difference in Ciri's facial features compared to the main trailer, sparking discussions across social platforms. Some fans even praised the new look, with one commenting that the Ciri at the 5:47 mark was a "perfect representation of a slightly older Ciri. I'm well happy! She looks fantastic!"

These observations led to speculation that CD Projekt might have altered Ciri's appearance in response to fan feedback. However, The Witcher 4 game director, Sebastian Kalemba, took to social media to clarify that no changes had been made. He explained that the behind-the-scenes footage was raw and lacked the cinematic enhancements seen in the official trailer. "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."

Kalemba further emphasized that variations in character appearance are a normal aspect of game development, noting that such differences can occur depending on the context — be it in a trailer, a 3D model, or in-game. This clarification was echoed humorously by a fan on the Witcher subreddit, who remarked, "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 as the protagonist instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga explained the decision, saying, "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 compared to Geralt allows for greater player freedom in shaping her character, providing the developers with more creative space to explore her story. Despite potential backlash from some fans about Ciri's role, both Mitręga and Kalemba affirmed that Ciri was always intended to be the main character. Kalemba elaborated, "There was an intention behind this choice. 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 a separate 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 the shift to Ciri as the protagonist. "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."

For more insights into The Witcher 4, check out our exclusive trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt where they discuss how they plan to avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.