Summary
Though virtually nothing official is known about it yet,The Witcher 4is still one of the most anticipated games in development right now. Following its tentative announcement in October 2022, CD Projekt Red confirmed thatThe Witcher 4- codenamed Project Polaris - would be just the first installment in a newWitcherseries, set to be some kind of sequel to boththe originalWitchertrilogyand the original novels the video games are based on.
Naturally, this has led to some pretty rabid speculation among fans, most of which has revolved around the sequel’s potential protagonist, and its setting. But regardless of where or whenThe Witcher 4takes place, there’s one beloved feature ofThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntthat’s likely to benefit from a sequel no matter what, and that’sGwent.
The Witcher 4’s Release Is a Win-Win Situation for Gwent
The Witcher 4’s Setting Is a Complete Mystery Right Now
A now-infamous image, CD Projekt Red has only released one official promotional poster forThe Witcher 4, currently known only as Project Polaris. The game’s first and only image depicts a Witcher’s medallion lying in the snow. A simple, but deceptively deep image, this Witcher medallion acts as a teaser thatThe Witcher 4could revolve around a new protagonist, and potentially a wholenew school of Witchers, with the medallion resembling the face of a lynx, as opposed to the face of a wolf, which can be seen on Geralt’s.
But aside from this general tease of a new protagonist, and potentially a new setting, no official news has been given aboutThe Witcher 4’s storyor context. One popular theory is that the sequel could be set in the near future, where players take control of Ciri as she tries to set up her own Witcher school. Another theory suggests thatThe Witcher 4could be set hundreds of years in the future, where the world looks drastically different from how players remember it inWild Hunt.
Any News Is Good News for Gwent
But regardless of where or whenThe Witcher 4ends up being set, it’s a win-win situation forGwent. First introduced as a surprisingly deep playable mini-game inThe Witcher 3,Gwentquickly became a major highlight of the sprawling fantasy RPG, and seeing an opportunity to take the game to new heights, CD Projekt Red produced astandalone version ofGwentin 2018. Over the last six years,Gwenthas continued to be fairly popular, receiving a handful of expansions and spinoffs, but in early 2023 it was announced that development on the card game would be coming to an end.
Flash forward to November 2023 andGwentreceives itsfinal update from CD Projekt Red. Though the game is still playable, and balancing is being left in the hands of the community, CD Projekt Red has stepped away from the spinoff, and unfortunately, it’s believed that the entireGwentdevelopment team was laid off or relocated to a different part of the studio. But while the standalone version ofGwentmay be finished, there’s hope that the beloved card game could see new life inThe Witcher 4.
No matter the sequel’s setting, aWitcher 4version ofGwentwould inherently have a whole new swathe of inspiration to draw from for its roster of cards. New factions, new monsters, new characters, new heroes, new villains, and new locations are all presumably going to be present inThe Witcher 4, andGwentcan draw inspiration from all of it.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
WHERE TO PLAY
You are Geralt of Rivia, mercenary monster slayer. Before you stands a war-torn, monster-infested continent you can explore at will. Your current contract? Tracking down Ciri — the Child of Prophecy, a living weapon that can alter the shape of the world.PLAY AS A HIGHLY TRAINED MONSTER SLAYER FOR HIRETrained from early childhood and mutated to gain superhuman skills, strength, and reflexes, witchers are a counterbalance to the monster-infested world in which they live.Gruesomely destroy foes as a professional monster hunter armed with a range of upgradeable weapons, mutating potions, and combat magic. Hunt down a wide variety of exotic monsters, from savage beasts prowling mountain passes to cunning supernatural predators lurking in the shadowy back alleys of densely populated cities. Invest your rewards to upgrade your weaponry and buy custom armor, or spend them on horse races, card games, fist fighting, and other pleasures life brings.EXPLORE A MORALLY AMBIGUOUS FANTASY OPEN WORLDBuilt for endless adventure, the massive open world of The Witcher sets new standards in terms of size, depth, and complexity. Traverse a fantastical open world: explore forgotten ruins, caves, and shipwrecks, trade with merchants and dwarven smiths in cities, and hunt across the open plains, mountains, and seas. Deal with treasonous generals, devious witches, and corrupt royalty to provide dark and dangerous services. Make choices that go beyond good & evil, and face their far-reaching consequences.
