Doug Cockle, voice actor behind Geralt of Rivia, has something to say to so-called fans of the series who complain has "gone woke". The sequel is the first game in the series to feature a woman as its main and only protagonist. In a narrative choice apparently surprising to some fans of the series, Geralt's adoptive daughter Ciri is stepping into the spotlight after her major role in The Witcher 3. These fans made their discontent apparent when The Witcher 4 was announced at The Game Awards, spamming the chat with "woke" - used here as a pejorative.

But in a video interview with Fall Damage (via IGN), Geralt's voice actor, Doug Cockle, had words for players who complained about this development: "That's just stupid. It's not woke. There's nothing woke about it. It's a cool character from The Witcher, and they're going to focus on that character. I think that's awesome." He goes on to talk a bit about Ciri's role in The Witcher novel series, which, he points out, is underexplored in the games. He ends by encouraging anyone who complains about Ciri replacing Geralt to "read the damn books - they're good, first...