The director of The Witcher 4 has clarified that a new video features the same in-game model of Ciri after some fans speculated that her face looked different. Yesterday, CD Projekt released a behind-the-scenes look at The Witcher 4's cinematic reveal trailer, which included two brief clips showcasing new close-up views of Ciri at the 2:11 and 5:47 marks. These moments captured the attention of fans who noticed slight differences in Ciri's facial appearance compared to the cinematic reveal trailer. Enthusiasts on social platforms praised the new looks, with one commenter describing Ciri at the 5:47 mark as a "perfect representation of a slightly older Ciri," expressing their satisfaction with her appearance.

Initial reactions suggested that CD Projekt might have altered Ciri's appearance in response to criticism that labeled her as "ugly" in the reveal trailer. However, game director Sebastian Kalemba took to social media to clarify that no changes had been made to Ciri's in-game model. He explained that the behind-the-scenes video showcased raw footage of Ciri without the final touches of facial animation, lighting, or virtual camera effects, which are added for cinematic purposes.

"The behind-the-scenes video features the same in-game model of Ciri as seen in the original trailer," Kalemba stated. "We have not modified it. What you're seeing is raw footage — without facial animation, lighting, or virtual camera lenses. While it's still in-engine, it represents a work-in-progress snapshot taken before we applied cinematic touches for the purpose of that video. This variation is a natural part of the game development process. At this point, any character's appearance may vary depending on the medium — whether it's in a trailer, a 3D model, or in-game."

The Witcher 4 marks the beginning of a new trilogy set after the events of The Witcher 3, with Ciri taking the lead role instead of Geralt. In an exclusive interview with IGN before the reveal, executive producer Małgorzata Mitręga emphasized that Ciri was a "very organic, logical choice" for the protagonist. "It was always about her, starting from Saga when you read it in the books. She's an amazing, layered character. And of course, as a protagonist we said goodbye to Geralt previously. So this is a continuation. I guess for all of us it's like she was meant to be. That was always her."

Kalemba added that Ciri's younger age offers players more freedom to define her character, providing developers with greater scope to explore her narrative. Despite potential backlash from some quarters about Ciri's role, both Mitręga and Kalemba affirmed that Ciri was always intended to be the main character. "There was an intention behind this choice," Kalemba said. "It was far from roulette. It wasn't random. I remember we had discussions nine years ago, we were talking about who's next? The very, very instant answer was Ciri. There are many reasons behind that. We've already mentioned a few. But she really deserves a stage and we want players to really experience her story because she has so much to tell, so much to prove. The amount of challenges that are in front of her give us so much amazing energy and fuel to create an epic saga that we had no choice but to go with it. We all felt that this is the way. I believe this is the super right choice."

In a January interview with IGN regarding Netflix's upcoming animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of The Deep, Geralt's voice actor Doug Cockle endorsed CD Projekt's decision to shift the focus to Ciri. "I'm really excited," he said. "I think it's a really good move. I mean, I always thought that continuing the Saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done."

For more on The Witcher 4, check out our exclusive trailer breakdown and an interview with CD Projekt discussing how they plan to avoid a Cyberpunk 2077-style launch disaster.