CDPR shares behind-the-scenes look at The Witcher 4 cinematic trailer, promises an evolution for the franchise

Bolstering the hype following the debut of The Witcher 4 announcement, developer CD Projekt RED recently released a "behind the scenes" video delving deeper into the cinematic reveal. Although the upcoming open-world action RPG is still a long way from launch, fans can learn more about how it'll evolve the franchise, especially since it stars the new Witcher, Ciri.

This includes input from key staff members like the game director, cinematics director, and others — detailing the direction the project will follow, what sort of tone they will aim for, and so on. Here are the details.

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The Witcher 4 cinematic trailer breakdown reveals a new dawn for the franchise

While Ciri plays a prominent role during the events of the last game — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — where she is on the run from the titular elven forces and forced to face her destiny as the Child of the Elder Blood, the upcoming RPG revolves around her forging her own path as a Witcher.

As such, she aims to prevent others from being destined towards a harmful fate, or worse, which is perfectly captured with the sacrifice of Mioni in the Witcher 4 cinematic trailer. The young daughter of a villager called Zhivan, she must be sacrificed to the forest "god" in a ritual to maintain peace in her village of Stromford.

However, Ciri knows that the young lass need not be a scapegoat for ruthless tradition and superstition, thanks to experiences from her own tough past. Her fears are confirmed when the "god" turns out to be a monster called Bauk, who Ciri fights and defeats after asking the girl to flee to safety.

Both girls are bound by fate, but Ciri aims to fight back in The Witcher 4 (Image via CD Projekt RED)

All of this including the nail-biting fight scenes against the Bauk were immaculately mo-capped by the developers. They even revealed that the beast was recreated using four people, who operated a contraption that resembled the Bauk's attacking arms. Moreover, the use of Unreal Engine 5 allowed the team to be more iterative in their process of making the ideal cinematic trailer.

Back to the story, destiny catches up to the daughter of fate as Mioni is killed by the villagers for breaking tradition. This is where Ciri and the player both realize that monsters don't just roam in the wilds but are also present in the villagers milling in front of her.

Very much in line with what fans have come to expect from the series, players will face many tough decisions that will force them to ultimately choose a lesser evil in a complex world filled with shades of grey. However, Ciri's role as the next Witcher and the choices she will face based on her past will no doubt make for an interesting new chapter in this saga.