Yes, you're hearing right: Ciri does sound different in that first Witcher 4 trailer, but CD Projekt Red hasn't shared why she's been recast
Meet your new Witcher.
Some of you might have noticed that Ciri is sounding a bit different in the first trailer for The Witcher 4, and as it turns out, it's because she's been recast.
Earlier this week at The Game Awards, CD Projekt Red offered its first look into what The Witcher 4 might be like with a cinematic trailer, and more importantly, a reveal that yes, Ciri is the new protagonist of the series, something the devs said was "the natural choice." It was a neat enough trailer, though considering production literally only started last month, it's pretty clear that this was just a louder version of CD Projekt Red saying "yeah we're working on it and this is roughly what it'll be about." One thing you might have noticed, though, is that Ciri is sounding a bit different, with some fans speculating that the character had been recast. As it turns out, she has, with CD Projekt providing a comment on the change to TheGamer.
According to the developer, "Ciara Berkeley was cast as Ciri for The Witcher IV Cinematic Reveal Trailer." The statement goes on to say that "Ciara is a talented actress who impressed us with her enthusiasm and vocal acting skills, and in this trailer we believe she truly brought Ciri to life in a way that is both faithful to the character and exciting for fans of the series." It should be noted that CD Projekt did later make it clear that Berkeley will be voicing Ciri in the game too, not just the trailer, taking over the role from Jo Wyatt.
The reason why Wyatt has been recast wasn't shared, so sorry to those of you that'll miss her, but Berkeley does sound quite good from the little we hear of her in the trailer at the very least. Now begins the long wait for the full thing!