Geralt Actor Criticizes 'Woke' Label for Ciri-Led Witcher 4

Doug Cockle, the voice actor behind Geralt in The Witcher series, has strongly responded to criticism regarding the focus on Ciri in the upcoming The Witcher 4. Speaking in a video by Fall Damage, Cockle dismissed the backlash as "stupid" and refuted claims that the game's shift to Ciri as the protagonist is "woke."

"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."

Despite reprising his role as Geralt in The Witcher 4, Cockle supports the decision to feature Ciri prominently, noting that it's time for Geralt to take a break after his journey concluded in Blood and Wine. "We can't just have Geralt for every single game for The Witcher ad nauseam, out through eternity," he stated, celebrating Ciri's role as the new protagonist.

Cockle also pointed out that the choice to focus on Ciri aligns with the lore established in Andrzej Sapkowski's original novels. He encouraged critics to "read the damn books," suggesting that understanding the source material would clarify why CD Projekt chose this direction. "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," Cockle explained.

The Witcher series, set after the events of Sapkowski's novels, continues to explore new narratives while respecting the original storylines. Sapkowski himself has acknowledged Ciri's importance, a sentiment shared by CD Projekt as they prepare to delve deeper into her story in The Witcher 4.

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IGN has previously discussed the integration of Geralt's return in The Witcher 4 with CD Projekt's franchise and lore designers, ensuring that the timeline and narrative remain coherent with the established universe.