CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 4 won’t be launching anytime soon but has received more than its share of attention, especially after the State of Unreal presentation. While the development team aims to create the “most immersive and ambitious open-world Witcher game,” it hasn’t divulged much on the actual quests. Fortunately, narrative director Philipp Weber confirmed there won’t be fetch quests.
In an interview with GamesRadar, Weber said, “We don’t do fetch quests” was some of his first feedback for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and that this rule is still in place for the sequel. He also revealed that each designer on the project provided “ten times as many ideas as those that landed in the game.”
The studio has been known for tackling heavy themes with its quests (the iconic Bloody Baron storyline is one example), but Weber says they’re not preaching “easy answers.” “We don’t just do it to be showy. We do it because there’s an interesting question to delve into – not necessarily a question we want to answer, but a question we want to explore and think is worth it. I would say that if you never have those discussions, you’re probably not making art.
“‘Maybe we have to be brave? Dive deeper? Maybe this is something that could touch people the wrong way. Are we ready to do that?’ Those are discussions that we have to this day, but it’s important to have them because otherwise, you’re never able to do something like this.”
Based on the State of Unreal demo, The Witcher 4 will have some familiar elements, as seen with Ciri picking up the trail of a Manticore to slay it. Tough choices also await, and CD Projekt RED is prioritizing player agency. As of now, however, we don’t know the central story of Ciri or what her main drive is beyond being a Witcher.
The Witcher 4 doesn’t have a release date or platforms, though it’s most assuredly coming to PC. Stay tuned for more updates on it in the coming months.
