‘The Witcher 3’ Adds Second Playable Character, Will She Continue The Franchise?

CD Projekt Red confirmed Monday that The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will feature a second playable character. The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC role-playing title will allow players to control Ciri, Geralt’s apprentice, who is being pursued by game’s antagonists.

Players won’t be able to switch between Ciri and Geralt like they can with characters in Grand Theft Auto V. Instead, CD Projekt Red revealed to IGN that she will be playable during certain moments of the plot similar to Ellie in The Last of Us or Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City.

“Ciri is playable only during certain moments in the game – we introduce her to give gamers another perspective in the story to make it even more engaging,” CD Projekt Red’s Robert Malinowski told IGN. “You won’t play as her for long periods of time, but since she’s crucial to the plot, we thought that additional insight will allow gamers to better bond with this cool character.”

“We introduce Ciri as supportive narrative tool and not because of gameplay mechanics. ‘The Witcher’ was always about Geralt and that has not changed, but that handful of moments when you play as Ciri provide us with glimpses of how the story feels from the other side.

“She’s a living weapon… and everyone wants to control her. This, plus she also has her own will and agenda, so it’s not just finding her that counts. I think that is the most important aspect of this character. Geralt knows Ciri since she was a child. She’s Geralt’s apprentice and they have a close emotional bond – he trained her so she could become a witcheress.”

Could CD Projekt Red be setting the stage for Ciri to continue The Witcher franchise? It’s been well known that The Wild Hunt would conclude Geralt’s story. However, the developer isn’t going to end the series there.

As reported by Eurogamer, CDPR CEO Adam Kicinski told the Polish Agency, “This is the last part of the trilogy, in which there will be a great finale of the story. However, this doesn’t mean the end of franchise.”

Introducing Geralt’s apprentice in his final appearance and making her a playable character seems to telegraph that the series will continue with Ciri. A fresh take with a female perspective on the Witcher mythology could help as well.

Ciri has been revealed as the second playable character in The Witcher: Wild Hunt http://t.co/jIDGcrkOcs #TheWitcher pic.twitter.com/AfchfTujaH

— The Witcher (@witchergame) December 15, 2014

The Witcher 3 was recently delayed from February 2015 to May 19, 2015. CD Projekt Red penned an open letter to fans explaining that the delay was necessary to correct last minute details and limit bugs.

What do you think of Ciri being a playable character in The Witcher 3? Sound off in the comments below.

[Images via The Witcher]