The Witcher fans disappointed over surprise recast of iconic character

Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. If you clicked on this article expecting some angry anti-woman think piece then guide your butt over to Twitter, because this article is about real news.

That’s because it turns out that the voice actor for Ciri, the protagonist in The Witcher 4 (cry about it), has been recast in the upcoming game.

See the reveal trailer for The Witcher 4 below

In a recent article by TheGamer’s Rhiannon Bevan, CD Projekt RED told the outlet that Ciri’s voice actor in the latest trailer for The Witcher 4 had indeed changed - permanently.

“Ciara Berkeley was cast as Ciri for The Witcher IV Cinematic Reveal Trailer,” a CD Projekt representative told TheGamer.

“Ciara is a talented actress who impressed us with her enthusiasm and vocal acting skills, and in this trailer we believe she truly brought Ciri to life in a way that is both faithful to the character and exciting for fans of the series.”

They then later clarified to TheGamer that this change will carry over into the full game, and that Ciri’s previous voice actor (Jo Wyatt) won’t be reprising her role in The Witcher 4.

In a thread detailing the change over on the r/Games subreddit, users we mixed between behind disappointed and begrudgingly acceptant.

“I won't deny It's a bit disappointing for me that they didn't get Jo Wyatt to reprise her role as Ciri,” replied user ShadowRomeo, “her voice is very memorable along with Denise Gough as Yennefer, Myanna Buring as Anna Henrietta…

“I also loved Jo Wyatt as Female Hawke on Dragon Age 2 too which made that game and Hawke as protagonist more memorable than it could have for me.”

“For what it's worth they've also changed the Polish VA for Ciri,” commented user Kiroqi, “indicating that it's not just random 'we don't like Jo Wyatt anymore', but more of a voice type or direction kind of thing.”

I think Kiroqi is right on the money with their comment, personally.

Clearly CD Projekt RED are moving into a new direction with Ciri’s character, and they want her more mature age to be reflected in the performance.

Still, it is a shame. Jo Wyatt was fantastic in the role. There’s always a chance she might still pop up however, as the actress could reprise the role in a flashback.