The Witcher 4’s narrative director, Philipp Weber, has explained the philosophy driving the game’s quest design, rooted in feedback he received during his work as a quest designer onThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Now taking on a more prominent role inThe Witcher 4’s development, Weber is carrying this particular philosophy forward for the sequel.
Hype continues to build forThe Witcher 4, which was first revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with an intriguing cinematic trailer. It has already been over a decade since the last game in CD Projekt RED’s critically-acclaimed RPG series, so fans have been patient as anticipation for the game grows. A recentWitcher 4tech demo showcased the jaw-dropping UE5 graphicspowering the upcoming game, which has only served to spark even more excitement from fans.
Speaking toGamesRadar+,The Witcher 4narrative director Philipp Weber revealed that when joining CD Projekt RED as a quest designer onThe Witcher 3, he received one important piece of feedback: “We don’t do fetch quests.” According to Weber, this philosophy is one he is maintaining forThe Witcher 4’s side quests, while also pointing out that to be able to avoid these types of quests, every designer wrote down “10 times as many ideas as those that landed in the game.”
The Witcher 4 to Avoid Fetch Quests in its Design Philosophy
The Witcher 3’s side questsare often held up as a shining example of how they should be done in RPGs. Not every quest has to be huge, but rather, interesting. Over the years, CD Projekt RED has tackled complex moral topics with its quests, of which Weber said, “We ask difficult questions, but don’t preach easy answers… We don’t do it to be showy. We do it because there’s an interesting question to delve into – not necessarily a question we want to answer, but a question we want to explore and think is worth it. I would say that if you never have those discussions, you’re probably not making art.” The fact that these ideas are being carried intoThe Witcher 4is a positive sign for the game’s quality.
Although fans continue to wait for more news aboutThe Witcher 4, it seems that the previous game in the series still has some life left in it yet. A recent rumor has suggested thatThe Witcher 3could be set to release a new DLC in 2026, 11 years after the game’s release. The rumor indicates that the DLC would be developed by Fool’s Theory, and would be an interesting way to bridge the gap betweenThe Witcher 3and4.
