gMore than ten years after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt first came out, CD PROJEKT RED and Fool’s Theory are getting ready to send Geralt of Rivia on one more adventure. At gamescom 2026, we were given a hands-off preview of the upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, followed by an exclusive interview with Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz, Creative Vision Director, and Doug Cockle, the voice actor behind Geralt himself. The two talked about what brought Geralt out of retirement, the deeper look into his friendship with Dandelion, and what fans can expect from this new chapter.

Why Geralt Still Has a Story to Tell

By the end of Blood and Wine, Geralt seemed ready to settle down for good at his Corvo Bianco estate. Kuzia-Rokosz admitted that from a writing standpoint, pulling him back out of that life needed real justification. “If you decide to retire, you need a very good reason to come out of retirement,” she said. That reason, it turns out, is his closest friend.

“Dandelion needs Geralt to accompany him back to his homeland because he has some personal matters to resolve. He believes that having his companion by his side is important for him to succeed.”

The idea for Songs of the Past had actually been sitting at CD PROJEKT RED for some time, but the timing never lined up because of other projects within the company. That changed once Fool’s Theory, a studio made up of many Witcher 3 veterans, came on board. “Then, as we like to say, the stars aligned. We were invited to participate and bring the expansion to life together,” Kuzia-Rokosz said, adding that working alongside old colleagues really feels like a family or school reunion.

With that opportunity finally in front of them, the team felt there was still more to say about Geralt, and that Dandelion, as one of the most important people in his life, deserved more time in the spotlight.

A Friendship Worth Telling

Doug Cockle said returning to Geralt after all these years never really feels like a return at all. “I always love returning to Geralt. Actually, I don’t have to return to him, he’s part of me,” he said, adding that after voicing the character for over 20 years, Geralt has become part of his everyday life, jokes included.

“It’s like slipping into a warm bath. I’m very comfortable with the world and with the character.”

What excites him most about Songs of the Past is the chance to dig deeper into Geralt’s friendship with Dandelion. “Dandelion is Geralt’s best buddy… he’s almost the exact opposite,” Cockle said, describing how their contrast makes their scenes together lively. He also had kind words for his co-star, John Schwab, who voices Dandelion.

“He’s fantastic, and we’ve been friends for a long time, so it’s always a pleasure to work with him,” Cockle said, adding that learning more about Dandelion and seeing the friendship explored in a more substantial way than we have in the past is what he’s most looking forward to for players.

Kuzia-Rokosz agreed that Dandelion plays a special role in Geralt’s life. “Dandelion is the one who can pierce through the shell that Geralt has built around himself,” she said, noting that the two bring out both the best and, sometimes, the most difficult traits in each other. She explained that the goal was never to reinvent Dandelion, but to dig into who he already is.

Pointing out to include wanting to go deeper into what he really wants in life, what he wants for himself, and what his destiny is. That shift shows in his look too, as Dandelion now wears more muted, earthy tones instead of his usual bright colors, reflecting his wish to reconnect with a family he has been distant from for years.

“He’s not a completely remade character. Instead, we wanted to explore more of what was already there.”

Being there for a friend does not always mean going along with everything they do, and the team wanted the story to reflect that honestly. “Being a good friend doesn’t always mean agreeing with someone or following them wherever they go. Sometimes it means telling them a hard truth or trying to save them from themselves, even if they don’t appreciate it at the time,” Kuzia-Rokosz said.

She summed up the tone of the expansion simply. “We tend to say that we’ve had a lot of romances already. It’s time for a bromance,” describing it as a mature friendship between two grown men willing to stick by each other no matter what

Staying True to The Witcher While Moving Forward

With The Witcher 4 on the horizon, the team was asked how they kept the identity of the original game intact while still adding new ideas. Kuzia-Rokosz said much of that comes down to having the same people involved, including CD PROJEKT RED staff who worked on the original game and its expansions. “The spirit and mindset behind The Witcher, what this world is and how it should look and feel, are still there and preserved,” she said.

She described the established world and characters not as limits, but as a helpful foundation. “We also have certain constraints, but they’re good constraints. The rules are already established, and the characters are defined,” she said. Bringing fresh ideas on top of that foundation, she explained, is a group effort.

“We have our amazing lore masters who make sure we’re on top of everything when it comes to how the universe expands and how everything connects together,” she noted, adding that the result is a fully fledged Witcher expansion and a complete Witcher adventure, with monsters to slay and decisions to make.

That includes new characters, some tied to familiar names like Kallaria’s family, alongside completely new faces, plus new mechanics and new ways of taking on monsters. For Kuzia-Rokosz, the aim is simple.

“For returning players, we want to create that feeling of coming home. For new players, we also want to create a great opportunity to discover and learn about the game.”

Cockle pointed to the experience within the studio as another key part of preserving the series. “The beautiful thing is that Fool’s Theory is made up of a lot of people who actually worked on The Witcher 3. Their knowledge and experience of the world are direct,” he said. He also brought his own long history to the table, having voiced Geralt since the very first game. “I recorded Geralt in The Witcher 1, so I now have over 20 years of experience with this world and this character,” he said.

“There’s a lot of experience at the table when making this expansion.”

The Quiet Emotions Behind Geralt’s Stoic Face

Geralt has never been an openly emotional character, and the team was asked how they communicate feelings he doesn’t usually put into words. Cockle pushed back gently on the idea that Geralt feels nothing. “He’s not, is he? But he does feel,” he said. “A lot of people say that Geralt is emotionless because of the Trial of the Grasses, and there’s some truth to that,” he added, but he sees it differently.

“He does a job where he cannot let his emotions rule him. If he’s led by his emotions, he’ll die. It’s too dangerous a job.”

That same instinct, he said, is why Geralt avoids politics and just wants to get on with his job, have a nice life, and hang out with his friends.

For Cockle, playing a character who hides his feelings is still built on the idea that those feelings exist. “As an actor, I’ve always felt that Geralt has to have an emotional life. If he doesn’t, what are we as human beings going to relate to?” he said. He pointed to a few specific moments in the preview where that comes through. “He gets angry. He gets sad. He gets confused. He worries. He feels all the things that we feel every day,” he said

Rather than performing an emotion directly, Cockle focuses on what Geralt is trying to achieve in a scene. “I try to achieve what the character is trying to achieve vocally. Through that action of trying to achieve something, the emotion naturally happens,” he explained.

“In some ways, you could say that when Geralt feels, it’s because I feel. Geralt’s emotions are my own, and that’s very satisfying.”

Learning more about Dandelion in this expansion also changes how the friendship between the two characters comes across. “I think players will have a different perception of the friendship between Geralt and Dandelion. That’s one of the main themes of the game,” Cockle said, adding that understanding Dandelion better helps players understand Geralt better too. One small addition he pointed to is the ability to pet dogs in the game. “We’ve seen Geralt pet Roach, but we don’t see him pet anything else except Triss and Yennefer in certain contexts,” he said.

“Here, we get to see a softer side of Geralt. We get to see him kneel down, pet a dog, and say, ‘Good boy, good boy.'”

He kept details light on purpose, saying only, “I don’t want to give too much away because I want players to have their own experience, but I think they’ll be pleased.”

New Tools and a New Region to Explore

Fans who remember the chain from The Witcher 1’s intro will see it return in Songs of the Past. Kuzia-Rokosz explained the choice in a straightforward way. “First and foremost, the reason is that it’s cool,” she said. “The chain is unique, and it’s something Geralt used to use. We know it from the books, and we’ve seen it in the intro to The Witcher 1,” she added, noting that it was broken during that opening scene. “That chain was broken by the Striga. She’s very strong, right? So this is now a great opportunity to reintroduce the chain,” she said.

“Geralt knows how to use it. He knows how to fight with it, and now we’re giving it to the players to use.”

Beyond flashy takedowns, she said it also has a practical use in combat. “The most exciting thing for me about the chain is that it doesn’t just give you cool finishers and cinematic moments. It also allows you to crowd-control enemies,” she said, adding it may also help against enemies that fly.

The new region featured in the expansion stands out for staying largely untouched by war, something Kuzia-Rokosz said shaped its culture in a big way. “We wanted players to experience something very special, a place that has remained relatively untouched by war,” she said. She described a self-sufficient community built around agriculture and sheep farming. “They have agriculture and breed animals such as sheep on a larger scale. They use sheep products to create other products within their economy,” she explained.

“They’re rich, they’re peaceful, and they’re actually very happy with the place where they live. It’s almost like a land of abundance.”

That comfort comes with a trade-off, though. “To some extent, they might also be overprotected. They don’t know war. They’re safe where they are,” she said.

That isolation also shapes how locals treat outsiders. Rather than fear or hostility, Witchers are met mostly with curiosity. “A Witcher is a novelty to them,” Kuzia-Rokosz said. “Geralt isn’t necessarily something they urgently need for pest control,” she added, though she was clear that there is still work for him to do there. “There are still monsters and dangers in the region, but people have been able to live relatively peacefully because the monsters tend to keep to themselves to some extent,” she said.

“There is still a job for the Witcher to do, though. It’s a great mystery for players.”

A Message to the Community

As the interview wrapped up, both Kuzia-Rokosz and Cockle shared a few words for fans. “I’m very grateful for your support. It’s extremely impressive to see the love that you put toward the franchise and the community,” Kuzia-Rokosz said. She added that she’s eager to share more regarding Songs of the Past in the coming months.

“I just can’t wait to tell you more, show you more, and finally put the expansion into your hands so you can have fun with it and enjoy it,” she said, encouraging any fans attending gamescom to see the game for themselves. Cockle closed with a simple message for players.

“Welcome back to the path. Thank you.”