Jo Wyatt won’t be reprising her role as Ciri in The Witcher 4. CD Projekt Red has confirmed that Ciri is now being played by Ciara Berkeley after the actress made her debut in the reveal trailer for the upcoming game.
Wyatt is best known for her work as Ciri in The Witcher 3. The actress has also worked across other video games including Dragon Age II, Mass Effect 3, Remnant II and Horizon Zero Dawn.
It is unclear why CDPR decided to sign Ciara Berkeley for the role given how The Witcher 4 takes place after the events of Wyatt’s role in The Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red claims that Ciara Berkeley has “truly brought Ciri to life” and has defended the studio’s decision to alter Ciri’s appearance and voice. In a statement, CDPR says:
Ciara Berkeley was cast as Ciri for The Witcher IV Cinematic Reveal Trailer. Ciara is a talented actress who impressed us with her enthusiasm and vocal acting skills, and in this trailer we believe she truly brought Ciri to life in a way that is both faithful to the character and exciting for fans of the series.
However, fans are divided. Many of them say that the move is “breaking the immersion” while others say her voice was “off-putting” at first. Some fans don’t mind. They say that voice artists should be recast as they and their characters get older.
Ciara Berkeley doesn’t have a lot of video game experience. In fact, this is her first role in a video game. She has appeared in a number of movies and TV Mini Series up to now including The Deceived, and Normal People.
It is too early to tell how well this move will play out for CD Projekt Red. Given The Witcher 4 is still likely a few years away, fans still have a lot of time to get used to the change.
Source: Reddit