Former CDPR Artist Unveils Stunning Ciri Artwork from The Witcher 4 Featuring New Weapon

Overview of Ciri’s New Look in The Witcher 4

Former CD Projekt Red artist Dilara Özden unveiled a captivating illustration of Ciri in The Witcher 4.
The artwork, featuring Ciri with a distinctive chain weapon, captivated and delighted fans across social media platforms.

Recently, former CD Projekt Red artist Dilara Özden released an impressive piece of artwork showcasing Ciri from The Witcher 4. This striking illustration depicts Ciri wielding a unique weapon, which quickly gained traction online, earning accolades from the dedicated Witcher community.

The fourth main installment of The Witcher series has been in development since early 2022, when CD Projekt Red (CDPR) officially announced its production. Fast forward two and a half years, and the game saw its cinematic reveal during The Game Awards 2024 in December. The six-minute trailer introduced players to an older Ciri, who appears to have completed the witcher trials and embraced her role as a full-time monster hunter.

Just three days following the trailer’s launch, Özden shared her artwork featuring the newly aged Ciri. In her captivating piece, Ciri stands against a moonlit backdrop, towering over several defeated monsters. The four fangs visible on the remnants suggest they belong to alghouls; however, their elongated limbs hint that they may actually represent ghouls, a different type of necrophage in the game’s lore.

Ciri’s Unique Chain Weapon in Özden’s Artwork

There are no gods here, only monsters. #Witcher4 pic.twitter.com/Y6xXdYGJUk — Dilara Özden (@alternatecyborg) December 16, 2024

The initial trailer for The Witcher 4 showcased Ciri wielding her iconic sword, Zireael, a silver blade gifted to her by Geralt. However, Özden took a creative leap in her artwork, featuring Ciri with an unconventional weapon resembling a long chain with a blade affixed to one end. This innovative design may draw inspiration from the surujin (or suruchin), a traditional Okinawan kobudō weapon known for its versatility in martial arts. Notably, this distinctive armament typically features a blade at one end, while the other end remains blunt. In Özden’s illustration, only one end of Ciri’s chain weapon is depicted, adding an element of intrigue.

The character is depicted in the throes of adrenaline, having just consumed a potion prior to confronting a hostile creature named the Bauk, as indicated by the dark circles around her eyes in the artwork.

The original tweet featuring Özden’s captivating illustration garnered over 302,000 views, 21,000 likes, and approximately 2,600 retweets within a mere six days of posting. The artwork continues to circulate widely on various social media platforms. Numerous fans expressed admiration for Özden’s artistic talent while also conveying disappointment that she will not be contributing to the upcoming title. For context, Özden departed from CDPR in 2023 and is currently engaged with Ghost Story Games, a studio led by Ken Levine that focuses on the development of the first-person shooter Judas.

Regarding the release of The Witcher 4, CDPR has yet to announce a specific launch date. However, the studio has indicated that the new Witcher title is its top priority at present, ensuring it will arrive before the anticipated sequel to Cyberpunk 2077—known as Project Orion. Given the current trend of prolonged AAA game development cycles, it’s reasonable to speculate that we might not see this highly awaited installment hit the shelves until at least 2027.

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