Summary
Some characters become intangible parts of their respective stories. As the protagonist of three ofThe Witchergames, as well as the Netflix series and the books the franchise is adapted from, Geralt of Rivia is undoubtedly the face ofThe Witcherfranchise. Now, to build a new identity that can stand on its own, it needs to be brave enough to break away completely from Geralt.
Geralt is one of the most iconic video game protagonists of all time, and his presence in any new game inThe Witcherseries will immediately draw attention away from anything else. While this may not be a huge problem with new players who don’t have as much nostalgia for him, it will be an issue with veteran players and fans ofThe Witcherbook series.
Why Geralt Can’t Appear in The Witcher 4
Past Game Protagonists With History
Characters returning from previous games in a seriesin a new game is really common. An example from another RPG,Dragon Age 2, is Hawke inDragon Age: Inquisition. While Hawke is also a video game player character, their appearance and gender are determined by the character. Hawke also only appears inDragon Age 2, rather than in an entire trilogy of games. These factors go a long way in ensuring that Hawke’s force of personality and persona doesn’t completely take over the game.
Geralt, however, is a fully realized character with a set personality and appearance, and who appears on every video game cover, trailer, and piece of marketing material.
What If Geralt Was in The New Witcher Games?
IfGeralt was to appear in the newWitchertrilogy, all eyes would be on him to the detriment of the new games. The new trilogy already has a difficult task ahead of it in creating a new series of games without Geralt as the player character and creating a new identity that’s also convincing to the player that this is the right path will be difficult if the series cannot let go of Geralt. Keeping Geralt around signals to players that CD Projekt Red isn’t certain of its decision to switch protagonists—if it even does so at all.
The Witcher 4 Needs New Heroes to Lead
CD Projekt Red Needs to Convince Players
Instead, thenewWitchertrilogy needs to embrace its new protagonistswith confidence and place them on the same playing field as Geralt. Players need to be convinced that the decision to switch protagonists was the correct one, and CD Projekt Red can go a long way in doing so by showing its utmost confidence in its new protagonists.
The Role of The Setting
Thetimeline and setting of the newWitchertrilogyare still unknown to players at this stage. If CD Projekt Red decides to set it within the lifetime of Geralt, it needs to ensure that Geralt doesn’t appear in any of the games, even as a cameo. A cameo role from Geralt would be fan service, while a longer, more substantive role would detract from other characters in favor of Geralt.
At the same time, Geralt doesn’t have to be completely abandoned. If the timeline for the nextThe Witchertrilogy intersects with or happens after Geralt’s story, referencing Geralt in books, equipment, or songs and poetry would be a great way to honor the character and give a nod to the previous games without having Geralt take the spotlight.
