Geralt Actor Slams 'Woke' Label for Ciri-Led Witcher 4

Doug Cockle, the voice behind Geralt of Rivia in CD Projekt's acclaimed *The Witcher* series, has responded strongly to the backlash surrounding *The Witcher 4* and its new protagonist, Ciri. In a recent video released by Fall Damage, Cockle expressed his frustration with critics labeling the game's focus on Ciri as "woke," describing such claims as "stupid" and misguided.

"It's not woke," Cockle emphasized. "There's nothing woke about it. [Ciri]'s a cool character from *The Witcher*, and they're gonna focus on that character, and that's awesome." He pointed out that while he will reprise his role as Geralt in *The Witcher 4*, the spotlight shifting to Ciri is a natural progression for the franchise. "We can't just have Geralt for every single game for *The Witcher* ad nauseam, out through eternity," he argued, highlighting that *Blood and Wine* was intended as a fitting conclusion to Geralt's journey.

Cockle celebrated the decision to feature Ciri as the protagonist, dismissing critics with a playful raspberry. He urged detractors to delve into Andrzej Sapkowski's original *The Witcher* novels to understand the reasoning behind CD Projekt's choice. "If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue," he stated, noting that Ciri's character offers a "whole rich world of stuff to explore" that was only hinted at in *The Witcher 3* due to the focus on Geralt's story.

"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," Cockle concluded, advocating for a deeper appreciation of the source material.

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Sapkowski's novels, which conclude before the timeline of CD Projekt's games, also underscore Ciri's importance as a pivotal character ready to take the lead when necessary. IGN has previously covered discussions with CD Projekt's franchise and lore designers, Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda, who explained how the timeline aligns with the new direction for *The Witcher 4*.