Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt in The Witcher video game series, has defended CD Projekt's decision to focus on Ciri as the protagonist in The Witcher 4. Cockle addressed criticism that the move was "woke," urging detractors to "read the damn books." He emphasized that Ciri is a compelling character with a rich backstory, and exploring her perspective is a natural progression for the series.

Cockle explained that it's not feasible to have Geralt as the central character in every Witcher game. He stated, "We can't just have Geralt for every single game for The Witcher ad nauseam, out through eternity... We've seen the end of Geralt's journey. Blood and Wine was supposed to wrap up that journey." Cockle expressed enthusiasm for Ciri taking the lead, challenging those who view it as "woke."

Cockle suggested that CD Projekt's decision to focus on Ciri is rooted in Andrzej Sapkowski's original Witcher novels. He stated, "If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue. 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. If you think it's woke, read the damn books."

CD Projekt's games are set after the events of Sapkowski's novels. While Sapkowski has maintained some distance between his work and the video games, he also recognized Ciri as a pivotal character capable of taking on significant roles. IGN previously discussed the return of Geralt in The Witcher 4 with CD Projekt franchise and lore designers Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda, who explained how the established timeline of events makes sense.