Doug Cockle, the iconic voice behind Geralt of Rivia in *The Witcher* series, has responded strongly to criticism surrounding *The Witcher 4*’s decision to center on Ciri as its main protagonist. The backlash, which claimed the move was a politically motivated or “woke” shift, was quickly dismissed by Cockle as misguided and misinformed.
“That's just stupid,” Cockle stated when addressing the controversy during an interview with Fall Damage. “It's not woke. There's nothing woke about it. [Ciri] is a cool character from *The Witcher*, and they're going to focus on that character — and that's awesome.”
Although Cockle will reprise his role as Geralt in *The Witcher 4*, this time he won’t be the central figure. Instead, CD Projekt has chosen to spotlight Ciri — a decision that sparked predictable resistance from a vocal minority who see such narrative shifts through a political lens.
Cockle argued that continuing with Geralt indefinitely wouldn’t serve the franchise well. “We can't just have Geralt for every single game for *The Witcher* ad nauseam, out through eternity,” he explained. “We've seen the end of Geralt's journey. Blood and Wine was supposed to wrap up that journey.”
He further expressed enthusiasm for Ciri’s expanded role, stating, “I celebrate Ciri. I celebrate her being the protagonist. So all you people who think it's woke... [blows raspberry].”
Why Ciri Is the Right Choice
Cockle also pointed to the source material as the foundation for this creative direction. He suggested that those critical of the choice simply haven’t explored the full depth of Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novels.
“If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue,” Cockle said. “There's a whole rich world of stuff to explore with Ciri that they didn't do when they put her into *Witcher 3*, because the story was about Geralt. But she hints at it.”
He added, “If you think it's woke, read the damn books — they're good, first of all. And secondly, you won't think it's so woke anymore.”
While CD Projekt’s games are set after the events of Sapkowski’s novels, the author himself portrayed Ciri as a strong, complex character capable of carrying her own narrative — a vision that aligns with the studio’s future plans.
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IGN previously spoke with CD Projekt’s Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda about how *The Witcher 4* fits into the established timeline, including Geralt’s continued but more subdued presence in the new trilogy. Without revealing key plot points from the final novel, it’s clear that both the books and the games recognize Ciri as a natural successor when Geralt steps back.
