CD Projekt RED’s (CDPR) next game will no longer focus on Geralt of Rivia, and the new (origin) story will also change Ciri in other ways.

First reported by TheGamer, CDPR is taking the term “new beginning” seriously. Jo Wyatt has been replaced by newcomer Ciara Berkeley. What’s this all about? Wyatt was the voice of Ciri and now Berkeley will be the voice of the character. We’ve already seen this difference in the video we saw at The Game Awards (and embedded below as a reminder), and CDPR has now confirmed that big changes are happening:

“Ciara Berkeley has been cast as Ciri for The Witcher 4 Cinematic Reveal Trailer. Ciara is a talented actress who impressed us with her enthusiasm and vocal abilities, and in this trailer we believe she brought Ciri to life in a way that is both true to the character and exciting for fans of the series,” said a CDPR spokesperson, although the company later clarified that this role change applies to the full game.

Why the switch from Wyatt to Berkeley? Maybe it was contract negotiations, timing, or maybe Berkeley just hit the mark in his application. It’s too early to judge her performance, as this short video doesn’t really show what she’ll be able to do in The Witcher 4… but according to IMDB, this will be her first voice work, and since she’s starting in a huge RPG with high expectations, it might be a bit risky for her. Wyatt, on the other hand, has an extensive career – she voiced Hawke in Dragon Age 2, for example.

We have seen a big change before when the main character was suddenly played by someone else. David Hayter became the iconic voice of Snake, but in Metal Gear Solid V it was Kiefer Sutherland. Or Charles Martinet, who hung up his microphone after nearly three decades, leaving Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi to be voiced by a younger generation.

Maybe Berkeley’s performance will be okay.

Source: PCGamer