'The Witcher' Has a Controversial "Netflix Ciri" Mod

A new The Witcher 3 mod now gives players the power to change the color of Ciri's skin. The "Netflix Ciri" mod is seemingly-inspired by recent controversies surrounding the forthcoming Netflix series.

A recent rumor stated that Netflix's The Witcher series was looking to cast a woman of colour for the role for Ciri. Since then, the showrunner herself took a temporary leave of absence from Twitter and a conflicting report has emerged stating that the casting call is sticking more closely to the source material, hinting at the auditioning of Caucasian / Polish actresses.

The mod itself is super simple, it's an easy to implement retexture that alters the appearance of Ciri in game. This is the first mod to alter the character's appearance to this extent other than a few "lore accurate" mods to keep her more in-tuned with the books. Below are a few sample shots of what she looks like in-game:

What makes this mod controversial isn't actually the mod itself, but the potential intent behind it. With comments disabled and much of the gaming community fighting back against the rumored casting choices, it is possible that this mod was created with intent to mock the potential creative direction. Or, it could simply be a way for fans to see the rumored Ciri for themselves in the game - especially for those excited to potentially see a different rendition of such a beloved character.

We don't know the intent at this time, though we did reach out to the creator to see if they would be willing to elaborate. Looking through their previous modding history, there was nothing they've created to suggest a malicious motive - unless heart-patterned boxers offend - and their work with textures has been phenomenal.

As far as casting news goes, on the heels of a recent leak regarding the casting preferences for Netflix's The Witcher series and their Ciri as a woman of colour, a new report has emerged claiming the exact opposite.

According to a recent Reddit post corroborated by several different mods under one source, casting is currently ongoing for characters like Ciri and they are specifically looking for actors of Polish descent. According to their anonymous source, they are looking for a "Caucasian/White Polish" to play the role of a younger Ciri.

You can read the full contrasting report right here. You can also take a peek at some of our own Ciri picks, including the stunning actress Zoe Kravitz!