CD Projekt Red has revealed that The Witcher 4 will feature a map similar in size to The Witcher 3. The team aims for quality over quantity, delivering an ambitious yet focused RPG experience.
It’s been a monumental week for The Witcher fans. CD Projekt Red brought the house down at The Game Awards 2024 with the official reveal of The Witcher 4. After months of teases about the “Project Polaris,” the studio finally lifted the veil on its next chapter in The Witcher saga.
The game’s reveal trailer confirmed that the fan-favorite Ciri will take center stage as the protagonist. With stunning visuals and an atmospheric tone, the teaser had fans asking for more of the game, including its release date.
But beyond the hype, CDPR shared some promising details about its approach to the game, including what players can expect from The Witcher 4’s map size.
New Details On The Witcher 4 Map Size
In an interview with SkillUp on the Friends Per Second podcast, CD Projekt Red’s Game Director Sebastian Kalemba and Executive Producer Gosia Mitrega shared insight into the game’s development. One topic that naturally came up was the map size of The Witcher 4.
When asked whether the game’s map would be larger, smaller, or similar to The Witcher 3, Kalemba explained that the team isn’t focused on making the game bigger just for the sake of scale. Instead, their goal is to create an experience that feels impactful and meaningful.
He acknowledged that The Witcher 4’s map will be “more or less the same” in size and quest density compared to The Witcher 3, but what matters most is delivering a high-quality experience.
Here’s what Kalemba had to say about the map, in his own words:
Question: Is the overall scale of the game similar to what The Witcher 3 was? Because I think that came in at around about 60 hours for your average playtime. In terms of the size of the map, are you aiming at a game that is a similar size and shape to The Witcher 3, or are you looking for something bigger, maybe something a bit more condensed?
Sebastian Kalemba: “That’s a good question. Fun fact, I’ll share with you guys an anecdote first before I answer the question. I remember when we were thinking about how many hours you’d need to, let’s say, finish Hearts of Stone or Blood and Wine.
“When we threw the numbers, we were like, ‘Five to ten hours maybe for Hearts of Stone’ and Blood and Wine, ‘maybe ten to fifteen hours.’ And we ended up with thirty hours! So, it’s exactly like you know, this is chaos theory.”
“Of course, empirically, we have so much knowledge regarding the structure of Witcher 1, 2, 3, the structure of Cyberpunk, all the expansions. So, we use this data. But we look at the scale a little differently. We don’t want to be a servant to the numbers, you know what I mean?
“The map is definitely more or less the same when it comes to the size, the amount of quests, more or less the same. Again, the game is going to be big. But also, the ambition of the entire team is huge. So first and foremost, we want to deliver a super compelling experience.
“Again, quality over quantity. But definitely, what we can promise—yes, this game is going to be pretty big. It’s going to be big compared to everything we’ve prepared so far. But I cannot tell you if it’s going to be 90%, 85%, or 100% [the size of The Witcher 3].”
In related news, CD Projekt Red has confirmed a major change for Ciri’s character. While the protagonist remains the same, her voice actor has been recast. Speaking to TheGamer, CDPR revealed that Ciara Berkeley will voice Ciri in The Witcher 4, replacing Jo Wyatt, who portrayed the character in The Witcher 3.
Watch the full episode of the Friends Per Second podcast below.
What are your thoughts on The Witcher 4 so far? Are you excited about the map size, Ciri as the lead, or the promise of a more refined RPG experience? Let us know in the comments!
