Doug Cockle, the iconic voice behind Geralt in The Witcher series, has fiercely responded to criticism directed at The Witcher 4's focus on Ciri as the protagonist. In a video published by Fall Damage, Cockle dismissed the backlash as "stupid" and urged detractors to "read the damn books" to understand the decision behind the shift in focus.
"It's not woke," Cockle emphasized, defending the choice to feature Ciri prominently in the upcoming game. "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." He argued that it's time for Geralt to take a well-deserved break, noting that the character's journey was meant to conclude with the Blood and Wine expansion.
Despite Geralt's continued presence in The Witcher 4, the announcement that Ciri would lead the next installment and potentially the entire next trilogy sparked a wave of "woke" accusations from a vocal minority online. Cockle celebrated Ciri's role, dismissing the criticism with a raspberry and expressing enthusiasm for exploring her story.
Cockle suggested that Ciri's prominence in The Witcher 4 is rooted in the rich narrative established by Andrzej Sapkowski's original novels. He pointed out that while Ciri's story was touched upon in The Witcher 3, it was always centered around Geralt. The novels, however, offer a broader canvas for Ciri's adventures, which CD Projekt is now poised to explore.
For those who see the shift as a move towards political correctness, Cockle recommended diving into Sapkowski's books. "If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue," he said. "There's a whole rich world of stuff to explore with Ciri... If you think it's woke, read the damn books — they're good, first of all. And secondly, you won't think it's so woke anymore."
The Witcher series by CD Projekt loosely follows the timeline after Sapkowski's novels, despite the author's own distancing from the games. Sapkowski, like CD Projekt, recognizes Ciri's importance and potential to carry the narrative forward when Geralt steps back.
IGN's previous discussions with CD Projekt's franchise and lore designers, Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda, further clarified how the established timeline aligns with Geralt's return in The Witcher 4, ensuring continuity and coherence within the series' universe.
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