With The Witcher's Netflix adaptation out and garnering mainstream attention, the next question is whether a fourth game will drop. As CD Projekt Red is finishing up work on Cyberpunk 2077, we probably won't get The Witcher 4 (If it's called that) by 2020 or 2021, but both the game series and the Netflix adaptation contain a wealth of lore and possibilities that allow for entirely new worlds, protagonists and spinoffs.
A Brief Recap
The Witcher games follow an older Geralt, the titular witcher and monster hunting outcast who as a mutant is incapable of having children, but is still looking for his daughter. That's Ciri, who (spoilers for Netflix-only fans) is an adult and a witcher herself by the game's end. With fully voiced, expertly-acted side quests and decisions that resonated throughout a 100+ hour playthrough, The Witcher 3 followed less-than-well received PC-exclusive entries but nevertheless made its foothold in the industry as the next gold standard after Skyrim, selling 20 million copies.
Comparing the Classics
While Skyrim had grandiose quests such as defeating dragons or choosing the outcome of a war, it can be argued that very little felt earned. The Dragonborn is given an immense amount of power but is still treated like trash by guards, who can take them out in one or two hits for some reason. Wars are won by your hand, but all it means is who sits on the throne– there's very little that changes aside from some disgruntled townspeople.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, playing on the highest difficulty can mean scarce resources, preparing a special potion before a fight and having barely enough coin to get by as Geralt deals with entitled, stingy quest givers and monsters that he can choose to spare, forfeiting the reward money. Is a succubus preying on the men of a town but nevertheless leaving them alive and keeping to herself? Geralt can simply leave her be and lose the chance to win her "trophy," a missable item. And trying to outsmart a witch might mean a major character dead, cutting you off from their storylines going forward. And yes, you can influence the outcome of a war, but instead of doing a few quests, it's a long, arduous process and Geralt isn't thrilled with the prospect. In short, The Witcher is never black and white.
Is The Witcher 4 a Possibility?
A new title in the series could come along, but not any time soon. CD Projekt Red's co-founder and CEO Marcin Iwinski mentioned that the team is worn out from the Fantasy genre, but is nevertheless invested in the series moving forward. "We have full rights to The Witcher games. They are ours. We have invested enormous funds into promoting it, and it’s a very strong brand," Iwinski said. The team is happy with The Witcher, has formed an agreement with the writer of the books and can move forward at any time, but like any team that's worked tirelessly on a three game trilogy, they need a bit of a hiatus. For now, look forward to Cyberpunk 2077's massive futuristic and dangerous metropolis coming soon.
One important thing to note is that Geralt won't return as a protagonist– Geralt's story is done (he's actually 90 in the games, let him rest) but he could cameo in future titles. And The Witcher 3 is the last game in its trilogy, so the next title will most likely take another direction entirely.
The Witcher 4: Thoughts and Hypothesis
The Witcher 3's two good endings leave a lot of room for expansion, but an important thing to note is another story doesn't even have to exist in the same world as The Witcher trilogy.
Multiple worlds exist in The Witcher universe, and Ciri does a bit of hopping between them on her own. By the time Geralt finds her, she's even explored the Cyberpunk 2077 universe (mentioning it briefly to Geralt, who doesn't believe her) although the creators said there will not be a Ciri cameo in Cyberpunk 2077. Only one ending contains the possibility for a sequel, as (spoilers ahead, beware) Geralt retiring wouldn't make for a good cameo. In other words, it's entirely possible to have the fourth entry follow Ciri as a world-hopping main character.
With that being said, Cyberpunk 2077 is the only thing on CD Projekt Red's slate right now. The best idea is to wait and enjoy what we have of The Witcher, buy the books, watch the series and play the expansion Blood and Wine. The best may be yet to come.