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Geralt Actor Dismisses 'Woke' Claims for Ciri-Led Witcher 4

Author：Kristen Update：May 25,2025

Doug Cockle, the voice actor behind Geralt in The Witcher series, has responded strongly to the criticism surrounding The Witcher 4's focus on Ciri as its protagonist. In a recent video by Fall Damage, Cockle dismissed the backlash, calling it "stupid" and defending the choice to center the game around Ciri.

"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."

Despite reprising his role as Geralt in The Witcher 4, Cockle supports the shift in focus to Ciri, Geralt's adoptive daughter. The announcement that Ciri would lead the next game and potentially the entire upcoming trilogy sparked controversy among a vocal minority, labeling the change as "woke."

Cockle argued for the need for fresh narratives within the franchise, stating, "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."

He celebrated Ciri's role, saying, "I celebrate Ciri. I celebrate her being the protagonist. So all you people who think it's woke... [blows raspberry]."

Cockle also pointed out that Ciri's prominence in The Witcher 4 aligns with the lore established in Andrzej Sapkowski's original novels. "If you read the books, then you understand why CD Projekt went down this avenue," he explained. "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."

He urged critics to delve into the source material, suggesting, "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."

The Witcher games are set in the timeline following Sapkowski's novels, which conclude with a definitive ending for the characters. However, both Sapkowski and CD Projekt recognize Ciri's importance and potential to carry the story forward when Geralt takes a backseat.

For further insight into Geralt's return and the timeline of The Witcher 4, IGN previously interviewed CD Projekt's franchise and lore designers, Cian Maher and Marcin Batylda, who clarified how the established events align coherently.