In a shocking announcement today, CD Projekt Red confirmed that a new Witcher game was in development. The above teaser image is all that was shown, but CDPR also confirmed that this would be a “new saga” of the Witcher developed as an open-world game on Unreal Engine 5. This immediately worried some that this was shifting toward an Epic Games Store exclusive, as UE5 is Epic Games’ engine, but CDPR denied this too.
Nonetheless, the most eye-catching aspect is the image. The snow backdrop could allude to the Wild Hunt of The Witcher 3, but it could also just be a blanket of snow. The partially-covered medallion truly takes the cake. It looks nothing like any Witcher school medallion currently in the franchise. The closest is the School of the Cat, but the structure is completely different.
Indeed, looking at the ear positioning and the facial structure of the medallion, it looks very similar to a Lynx. However, there is no official School of the Lynx, but there is a lot of fan-made information out there. It seems plausible that this medallion is hinting at a school never seen before, and that has major implications for a new Witcher game’s character and setting.
The Witcher’s New Saga and School of the Lynx
Since it is not a School of the Wolf medallion and this is not a known-to-exist school, it seems pretty clear that there will be a new protagonist in this game. Many have wanted Ciri to return as a Witcher protagonist, but this seemingly suggests otherwise. The second thing this immediately impacts is the time/period setting. This new Witcher game is likely to return to the continent, but this school poses some big questions.
It's possible that this School of the Lynx is canonized as some predecessor or successor to the School of the Cat, removing this new Witcher game from the current timeline by potentially hundreds of years. Another possibility is that it’s set in another universe, very similar to the current one. Many know Ciri was able to travel through different universes, with one fan theory saying Ciri has been to Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City. It seems unlikely that this would be the approach, instead using this “new” school to build new history and lore on top of already established bits in the main Witcher 3 trilogy.
Depending on when it is set, too, this could mean that there are new Witchers in the game. That opens a ton of doors, but few are as open as the main character. Having someone follow up Geralt will be incredibly hard. His character communicated a lot in a little and resonated with a ton of fans; replacing him, however necessary, means that there will be comparisons to him. CDPR has to avoid making what amounts to a Geralt clone but also strive to keep that Witcher persona intact.
What comes of this new game remains to be seen, as fans are not likely to learn much anytime soon, but if this medallion is any indication, almost anything could go in this new Witcher saga.
A new Witcher game is in development.
