Witcher 4's Ciri Not "Woke": Geralt Actor

Doug Cockle, the iconic voice of Geralt of Rivia, has responded to criticisms about The Witcher 4 shifting focus to Ciri—urging detractors to "actually read the source material."

"Frankly, that criticism makes no sense," Cockle remarked regarding the backlash against CD Projekt's upcoming RPG, which introduces Ciri as its lead protagonist for the first time.

"This isn't about political agendas," Cockle clarified in a Fall Damage interview. "Ciri is an established, compelling character in The Witcher universe. Exploring her story is an exciting creative direction."

While Cockle will reprise his role as Geralt in The Witcher 4, the veteran monster hunter won't be the central character this time.

When CD Projekt announced Ciri would headline the new trilogy, a vocal minority online decried the decision as "woke"—a claim Cockle firmly rejects.

"Geralt's story arc concluded beautifully in Blood and Wine," the actor explained. "Continuing his adventures indefinitely would diminish that perfect ending. Ciri's time to shine has arrived."

Regarding the criticism, Cockle added bluntly: "I fully support Ciri's protagonism. To those crying 'woke'—[makes dismissive noise]."

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Cockle emphasized that Ciri's prominent role in The Witcher 4 directly connects to Andrzej Sapkowski's original book series.

"The novels provide clear narrative justification for this focus," Cockle noted. "Ciri's untapped potential hinted at in The Witcher 3 finally gets proper exploration."

"Read the novels—they're excellent—and you'll understand this isn't some agenda-driven decision," he challenged critics.

While CD Projekt's games occur after Sapkowski's book timeline, both the author and developers recognize Ciri's pivotal role in the lore—particularly when Geralt steps back from the spotlight.

Without spoiling potential book-inspired plotlines, Sapkowski's writings position Ciri as the natural successor when Geralt's adventures conclude—a creative direction CD Projekt appears to honor in The Witcher 4.

IGN previously interviewed CD Projekt's lore experts Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda about Geralt's return, confirming the narrative continuity between titles remains intact.