The Witcher 4 gets its a first trailer and, yes, Ciri is the star

Two and a half years after announcing it had started work on the "next instalment in The Witcher series", CD Projekt has formally unveiled the project - now officially titled The Witcher 4 - with a first teaser trailer during this year's The Game Awards.

Excitement around CD Projekt's next Witcher game has been steadily increasing for some time now, as the project has shifted from vague concept to something considerably more tangible. The studio confirmed The Witcher 4 had entered "full-scale production" back in November, and a first look is now finally here.

Details remain scant at this early juncture in CD Projekt's marketing plans, but The Witcher 4's reveal trailer does at least confirm one persistent rumour to be true. This new saga will shift its focus away from Geralt of Rivia and toward a new (albeit familiar) protagonist - with everybody's favourite time-traveling dimension-hopper Ciri now taking the lead. And she got to go bit on the action in a surprisingly lengthy cinematic teaser, battling a monster deep in the woods to save a village maiden.

And CD Projekt's trailer also confirmed another lingering question. Speaking in August, Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle hinted the character would be "part of" the new Witcher game, adding, "We just don't know how much, and the game won't focus on Geralt." After his chatter earned a slapped wrist from CD Projekt, however, he's started insisting he was just going off "a rumour" - but Cocker gravelling tones at the end of today's reveal trailer confirm that Geralt will indeed be back in some form.

Unfortunately, beyond the fact it's being developed in Unreal Engine, there are countless questions to be answered around the new game. Still, it's nice to finally get an official name for CD Projekt's next Witcher outing, and equally nice to be able to put a face to that name. And while we wait for more details, you can always read what Eurogamer learned about The Witcher 4 - including CD Projekt's technical ambition, optimism, and timeframes - when we spoke to the studio earlier this year.