The Witcher 4

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:40 pm

Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:35 pm ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

We'll know what they're actually doing when they tell us, and so far all they've said is "Yes, the medallion is a lynx." It could mean there will be a School of the Lynx (which may or may not be based on the fanfic), or it could just mean that someone in the School of the Cat liked that particular type of cat. Or something else entirely.

The devs did confirm it to be the School of the Lynx though. So, they seem to be quite specific about it.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:52 pm

Rumpy wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:40 pm
Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:35 pm ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

We'll know what they're actually doing when they tell us, and so far all they've said is "Yes, the medallion is a lynx." It could mean there will be a School of the Lynx (which may or may not be based on the fanfic), or it could just mean that someone in the School of the Cat liked that particular type of cat. Or something else entirely.
The devs did confirm it to be the School of the Lynx though. So, they seem to be quite specific about it.

Did they? The only comment I've seen from CDPR was to confirm that the medallion is a lynx.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 1:45 pm

Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:52 pm
Rumpy wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 11:40 pm
Max Peck wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:35 pm ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

We'll know what they're actually doing when they tell us, and so far all they've said is "Yes, the medallion is a lynx." It could mean there will be a School of the Lynx (which may or may not be based on the fanfic), or it could just mean that someone in the School of the Cat liked that particular type of cat. Or something else entirely.
The devs did confirm it to be the School of the Lynx though. So, they seem to be quite specific about it.
Did they? The only comment I've seen from CDPR was to confirm that the medallion is a lynx.

In Daehawk's first post, he links to an article on IGN, in which the Devs state it that yes, it's the Lynx medallion and that it would be a newly developed school.

Daehawk wrote: The Witcher 4: Dev Confirms Teaser Is a Brand New Witcher School

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the medallion featured in its new Witcher game tease is from a new School of the Lynx, which will seemingly be invented for the new game.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer's global communication director Robert Malinowski confirmed that the medallion isn't from any currently canon witcher school. "Some mysteries should not be so mysterious", he said. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

I've bolded the important part. I take it to mean that not only were the devs confirming it to be a Lynx medallion, but that the game would follow a newly developed School of the Lynx. That seems pretty clear cut to me.

They've said Goodbye to Geralt at the end of Blood & Wine. I doubt they're going to return to him and his gang of friends. They said then that it was the end of his saga.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 3:48 pm

Rumpy wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 1:45 pm In Daehawk's first post, he links to an article on IGN, in which the Devs state it that yes, it's the Lynx medallion and that it would be a newly developed school.

Daehawk wrote: The Witcher 4: Dev Confirms Teaser Is a Brand New Witcher School

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the medallion featured in its new Witcher game tease is from a new School of the Lynx, which will seemingly be invented for the new game.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer's global communication director Robert Malinowski confirmed that the medallion isn't from any currently canon witcher school. "Some mysteries should not be so mysterious", he said. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

I've bolded the important part. I take it to mean that not only were the devs confirming it to be a Lynx medallion, but that the game would follow a newly developed School of the Lynx. That seems pretty clear cut to me.

They've said Goodbye to Geralt at the end of Blood & Wine. I doubt they're going to return to him and his gang of friends. They said then that it was the end of his saga.

The only direct quote from CDPR that I've seen anywhere is "Some mysteries should not be so serious. I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact shaped after a lynx." The original source of the quote is a Eurogamer article that does go on to talk about a School of the Lynx, but doesn't actually quote a source as saying that such a thing is going to exist in the game, or if so whether or not it has anything to do with the fanfic school. All the other reporting I've seen is about the Eurogamer article, not about any additional information from CDPR, and often seems to make assumptions based on the fanfic.

CD Projekt Red confirms new Witcher medallion is a lynx (Note the title.)

CD Projekt Red has confirmed to Eurogamer that the medallion in the picture teasing the new Witcher game does indeed resemble a lynx.

"Ok, some mysteries should not be so mysterious," CD Projekt Red global communication director Robert Malinowski told me this afternoon. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

It puts to an end speculation that has been swirling ever since the image was released on Monday. The medallion's likeness to a lynx is clear (see image below); the problem was that no Lynx School existed in the Witcher canon - not in the books or games or anywhere. That's what had people's brains in a twist.

The only place it does exist, as Victoria explained in a news post earlier today, was fan fiction - in a post on The Witcher Fandom Wiki. The story dreamt up there was that witcher Lambert and sorceress Kiera Metz journeyed south after the events of The Witcher 3 and eventually joined and reformed the Cat School as the Lynx School.

Whether CD Projekt Red's own Lynx School story will have anything to do with that, we don't know. I imagine it's probably unlikely. But it is a clear indicator that this new game, and possible set of games - it is referred to as "a new saga" after all - will revolve around different characters than we've played and seen before. Geralt and the others belonged to the Wolf School, remember.

It's not clear to me from the information presented here that CDPR actually told them anything more than confirming the medallion. If they had, I'd expect to see a direct quote. Now, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that a medallion that is "shaped after a lynx" implies a Lynx school, but without a direct, sourced confirmation it's still just an assumption (albeit not one I'd necessarily bet against). I do find the phrasing "shaped after a lynx" to be a little coy, but that may simply be a linguistic oddity given that Malinowski is probably not a native English speaker.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:17 pm

Ahh, gotcha. Ok, I didn't realize it was from a Eurogamer article. In that sense, confirming that it is the lynx medallion has only added more confusion, if it isn't going to be following the school of the Lynx, as it does sound like it's implied. Which is why it probably is more than likely it will be.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:32 pm

For me, at this point, it's a coin toss whether it's more likely to be a medallion for a Lynx school (something completely new) or a medallion for the Cat school (something in established canon but different from what we've played in the previous games) that happens to be "shaped after a lynx."

Apparently at some point Ciri collected a cat medallion, so maybe it even means I could still get my Ciri game. Maybe that's why I'm holding out on being sold on the School of the Lynx theory for now...

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:36 pm

Here...notice he is replying to both of them....so its A new school from Ciri's blood and its a Lynx. Click the 2 replies to see his funny way of saying yes.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:44 pm

Perhaps. Sometime in the next few years I'll find out whether you're right.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:50 pm

Max Peck wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:32 pm For me, at this point, it's a coin toss whether it's more likely to be a medallion for a Lynx school (something completely new) or a medallion for the Cat school (something in established canon but different from what we've played in the previous games) that happens to be "shaped after a lynx."

Apparently at some point Ciri collected a cat medallion, so maybe it even means I could still get my Ciri game. Maybe that's why I'm holding out on being sold on the School of the Lynx theory for now...

Well, isn't a Lynx part of the cat family? So theoretically, it wouldn't be wrong. Maybe an offshoot.

And Dae, that's an awful lot to take from two simple replies. I don't see any confirmation that it's related to Ciri.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 5:02 pm

Rumpy wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 4:50 pm Well, isn't a Lynx part of the cat family? So theoretically, it wouldn't be wrong. Maybe an offshoot.

Apparently that was the basis of the fanfic Lynx school -- a revival/offshoot of the Cat school under a new name.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Mar 26, 2022 5:27 pm

And maybe more aggressive

But yeah, the theory makes sense, IMHO. Especially if set decades later.

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Sun Mar 27, 2022 6:49 pm

Well, the School of the Cat didn’t have the best reputation, so a rebranding makes sense.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Mon Mar 28, 2022 3:55 pm

Maybe not so much a rebranding? The way I envision it is that the original school eventually disbands. Maybe there are some remaining survivors and some like-minded friends who decide to start up a new school years later. They take what they know from that school which eventually ends up being an offshoot of the original, only in a far different location to avoid. Given the teaser image, I'd imagine it on a snowy hilltop.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Mar 28, 2022 4:52 pm

Also a possibility: They are giving a vague teaser to get people talking, then having a couple of people wander the various message boards to see what peoples' responses are, than taking that into consideration. If there are a lot people excited by the idea of 'new order of Witchers' and a lot people saying that they hate the idea of a prequel, and absolutely everyone wants them to get away from Geralt, but lots of people like the idea of an order that allows (IE - has tweaked the mutagen) to allow females, that could influence the direction they take.

Market research, in other words.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Mar 28, 2022 4:56 pm

What I heard is that a lot of people would love a game where Paste Pot Pete forms a new witcher order. Could be the School of the Paste, or something like that.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:02 pm

School of the Horse naturally.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:04 pm

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:01 am

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 4:52 pm Also a possibility: They are giving a vague teaser to get people talking, then having a couple of people wander the various message boards to see what peoples' responses are, than taking that into consideration. If there are a lot people excited by the idea of 'new order of Witchers' and a lot people saying that they hate the idea of a prequel, and absolutely everyone wants them to get away from Geralt, but lots of people like the idea of an order that allows (IE - has tweaked the mutagen) to allow females, that could influence the direction they take.

Market research, in other words.

Well, stranger things have happened. I remember when I posted an idea for a Star Wars game on GoneGold, a sort of counterpoint to the Jedi Knight games from the Empire's point of view. We had a good back and forth among many posters, including the fact that it could be tactical with stormtroopers. If that sounds familiar, fast forward a couple of years and they release Republic Commando. Not exactly what we had discussed given the different era, but close enough.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu May 26, 2022 4:47 pm

The Witcher 4 is now in pre-production

The wheels appear to be turning smoothly on The Witcher 4, the next big game in development at CD Projekt. Just a couple of months after the studio confirmed that it is in fact working on a new Witcher game, CD Projekt chief financial officer Piotr Nielubowicz said development is now in the "pre-production" phase.

"We have recently wrapped up the research phase, which means the project has now progressed to pre-production, and we've begun to capitalize development expenses related to this new game," Nielubowicz said in a financial results highlight video.

"We are very eager to revisit the universe which has shaped our history to such an extent," CEO Adam Kiciński added in a separate statement.

Separating the "research" and "pre-production" phases of The Witcher 4 development might seem like splitting hairs, but I'm willing to be generous about it in this case because by all appearances the game will not merely continue the adventures of Geralt. CD Projekt has said it will be an entirely "new saga," possibly featuring a brand new school of school of witchers that doesn't appear in Andrzej Sapkowski's novels. Fitting all-original characters and content into the existing Witcher world puts a lot more weight on the shoulders of developers.

Full-on development of The Witcher 4 is still a long way off: The number of people on the project is growing but the bulk of CD Projekt's development team is focused on the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 expansion. That remains expected to roll out sometime in 2023.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Thu May 26, 2022 4:56 pm

I'm pretty pumped up to see where they go with this, although hopefully they've learned their lessons from Cyberpunk.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 26, 2022 5:05 pm

The only thing I can think of why they screwed up Cyberpunk so bad is it was a totally new type of game for them. Ive never had any trouble with the Witcher games and actually found them surprisingly perfect to me. I can only hope they get back to that ability on W4.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 26, 2022 10:24 pm

For some reason I thought they had said they were done with the Witcher line when it came to video games.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Fri May 27, 2022 12:17 am

I think it might have been done with Geralt. Which is fair - to be honest, he seems like he's kind of done with this BS by the end of the third game, and I'm happy to let him retire in his mansion in beautiful Toussaint.

What I'm kind of terrified of is that they'll go make a prequel with a younger Geralt. Or a prequel with a younger Vesemir. Or really any kind of prequel. What is it with people and being allergic to moving a story forward?

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri May 27, 2022 1:11 am

Doesn't matter what they do. I did love the ending of W3 but I have never like a game that didn't keep the original main character. Its just not The Witcher without Geralt. Look no further than Mass Effect Andromeda. Id rather play Shepard on some new enemy. Maybe one born of ending decisions he made.

But Ill play it anyways. Id like some stuff added like a true working upgradable keep that can be attacked and other Witchers I might recruit and train and send out.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Fri May 27, 2022 1:54 am

Daehawk wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 5:05 pm The only thing I can think of why they screwed up Cyberpunk so bad is it was a totally new type of game for them. Ive never had any trouble with the Witcher games and actually found them surprisingly perfect to me. I can only hope they get back to that ability on W4.

Just want to point out that while Cyberpunk sucked eggs for a long, long time after release, the studio actually ended up delivering a pretty amazing game post-patch 1.5 (February 2022). As disappointed as I was at initial release, I ended up absolutely loving this game when I played through a couple months ago, and now I'm really looking forward to the upcoming expansion.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Fri May 27, 2022 3:34 am

Kurth wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 1:54 am
Daehawk wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 5:05 pm The only thing I can think of why they screwed up Cyberpunk so bad is it was a totally new type of game for them. Ive never had any trouble with the Witcher games and actually found them surprisingly perfect to me. I can only hope they get back to that ability on W4.
Just want to point out that while Cyberpunk sucked eggs for a long, long time after release, the studio actually ended up delivering a pretty amazing game post-patch 1.5 (February 2022). As disappointed as I was at initial release, I ended up absolutely loving this game when I played through a couple months ago, and now I'm really looking forward to the upcoming expansion.

I'm going to stay pedantic and repeat my view that Cyberpunk was fine at launch on PC. There were some bugs, but I played it through to completion in the first two months of release and didn't encounter anything that spoiled my runthrough. There were definitely some cosmetic bugs, but nothing that prevented me from completing quests. And the story and quests were fantastic. I think the core of the "Cyberpunk sucks" narrative was from people who were playing on console, especially last gen consoles.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri May 27, 2022 8:47 am

Or people who don't have high end systems. The performance was awful on 'just ok' systems.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 27, 2022 8:59 am

NickAragua wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:17 am I think it might have been done with Geralt. Which is fair - to be honest, he seems like he's kind of done with this BS by the end of the third game, and I'm happy to let him retire in his mansion in beautiful Toussaint.

What I'm kind of terrified of is that they'll go make a prequel with a younger Geralt. Or a prequel with a younger Vesemir. Or really any kind of prequel. What is it with people and being allergic to moving a story forward?

True. A new era of stories about the handsome, virile, well coifed young Witcher Hepcatus would be perfect.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri May 27, 2022 9:24 am

I just finished the book Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier, and it had a chapter devoted to the development of The Witcher 3. As much as I love that game, that book really gave me a new appreciation for the folks at CD Projekt Red. The ambition of that game, the attention to detail, all coming from what was then a relatively small developer, just to prove to the world that they could compete with the video game giants. It was really inspirational.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri May 27, 2022 9:29 am

hepcat wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 8:59 am
NickAragua wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:17 am I think it might have been done with Geralt. Which is fair - to be honest, he seems like he's kind of done with this BS by the end of the third game, and I'm happy to let him retire in his mansion in beautiful Toussaint.

What I'm kind of terrified of is that they'll go make a prequel with a younger Geralt. Or a prequel with a younger Vesemir. Or really any kind of prequel. What is it with people and being allergic to moving a story forward?
True. A new era of stories about the handsome, virile, well coifed young Witcher Hepcatus would be perfect.

I think that would be fine, but what the people really want is an adventure focused on his rival, the roguish ne'er do well Count Guaponicus.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Fri May 27, 2022 10:00 am

El Guapo wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 9:29 am
hepcat wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 8:59 am
NickAragua wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:17 am I think it might have been done with Geralt. Which is fair - to be honest, he seems like he's kind of done with this BS by the end of the third game, and I'm happy to let him retire in his mansion in beautiful Toussaint.

What I'm kind of terrified of is that they'll go make a prequel with a younger Geralt. Or a prequel with a younger Vesemir. Or really any kind of prequel. What is it with people and being allergic to moving a story forward?
True. A new era of stories about the handsome, virile, well coifed young Witcher Hepcatus would be perfect.
I think that would be fine, but what the people really want is an adventure focused on his rival, the roguish ne'er do well Count Guaponicus.

It'll be like a buddy cop movie, except with Witchers. Book it, done. Fire the rest of the writing staff, we don't need them - this stuff will write itself.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 27, 2022 10:03 am

Are Witcher fans really ready for a character like Count Guaponicus though? A talking pine cone really isn't something you can work with.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Fri May 27, 2022 10:05 am

hepcat wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 10:03 am Are Witcher fans really ready for a character like Count Guaponicus though? A talking pine cone really isn't something you can work with.

We might need to workshop it a little. "Dandelion" was kind of a stretch too, but they made it work eventually.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri May 27, 2022 10:41 am

hepcat wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 10:03 am Are Witcher fans really ready for a character like Count Guaponicus though? A talking pine cone really isn't something you can work with.

Have you even read my last five entries on FanFiction.com? That was a one-time curse by a pine cone demon which Count Guaponicus overcame through the power of friendship.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 27, 2022 11:52 am

I stopped after Book 2, "A Portrait of the Witcher as a Young Stud".

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri May 27, 2022 12:19 pm

hepcat wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 11:52 am I stopped after Book 2, "A Portrait of the Witcher as a Young Stud".

Well you are missing out, my friend. It's a compelling intertwinement of adventure and eroticism that one lawyer called "an extreme misuse of our intellectual property."

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 27, 2022 12:39 pm

Did Netflix give you that deal? And by deal, I mean restraining order?

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri May 27, 2022 12:43 pm

hepcat wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:39 pm Did Netflix give you that deal? And by deal, I mean restraining order?

That is how companies express interest, right?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri May 27, 2022 12:52 pm

Then I'm the most popular customer at Hooters!

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Fri May 27, 2022 1:36 pm

hepcat wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 10:24 pm For some reason I thought they had said they were done with the Witcher line when it came to video games.

Yeah, they did say they were done with it by Blood & Wine's release. I think they'd said they needed to move on by then. I think what happened was that when when Cyberpunk became a failure, they needed to scramble and go back to the property that made them loads of money, the property that made them an industry name. So yeah, we're getting more Witcher. But my guess is that it will be an entirely new cast of characters, and possibly more involvement with the author.