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 on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Now taking on a more prominent role in The Witcher 4‘s development, Weber is carrying this particular philosophy forward for the sequel.
Hype continues to build for The 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 recent Witcher 4 tech demo showcased the jaw-dropping UE5 graphics powering the upcoming game, which has only served to spark even more excitement from fans.
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Speaking to GamesRadar+, The Witcher 4 narrative director Philipp Weber revealed that when joining CD Projekt RED as a quest designer on The 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 for The 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 quests are 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 into The Witcher 4 is a positive sign for the game’s quality.
Although fans continue to wait for more news about The Witcher 4, it seems that the previous game in the series still has some life left in it yet. A recent rumor has suggested that The Witcher 3 could 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 between The Witcher 3 and 4.