The Witcher 4: Devs on Pre-Production Planning

A Witcher 4 Genesis: How a Witcher 3 Side Quest Prepared the Team

CD Projekt Red's narrative director for The Witcher 4, Philipp Webber, recently shed light on the game's development origins. He revealed that the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt side quest, "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow," served as a crucial onboarding experience for new team members joining the Witcher 4 project.

This quest, added in late 2022, wasn't just a promotional tie-in for the next-gen update and Henry Cavill's Netflix armor; it acted as a vital initiation. Webber described it as the "perfect start to getting back into the vibe," a sentiment that aligns perfectly with the Witcher 4's March 2022 announcement. While pre-announcement planning undoubtedly existed, the side quest provided a tangible entry point for newer developers.

The quest's role in team integration is particularly relevant given the timeline. Witcher 4, launching a new Ciri-centric trilogy, followed roughly nine months after the side quest's release. This suggests that some team members, potentially transitioning from the Cyberpunk 2077 team (released in 2020), utilized this quest as their introduction to the Witcher universe and its development processes. This onboarding method might even hint at potential similarities between Witcher 4's mechanics and Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion, although this remains speculative.

In essence, "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" wasn't just a minor addition to Witcher 3; it served as a bridge, smoothly transitioning new talent into the development of the highly anticipated Witcher 4 and its focus on Ciri's journey.