Northern

The Witcher 4 will be set in the far northern region of Kovir, not yet seen in the previous games.

Earlier today, we saw a first in-game look at CD Projekt Red’s forthcoming Ciri-starring sequel at the State of Unreal livestream. It showed off how the studio is using Unreal’s technology, but also hinted at the game’s location.

The end of the trailer shows a first look at Lan Exeter, the winter capital of the Kovir region. In a press release, the studio has confirmed the sequel will take place in Kovir.

State of Unreal 2025 Official 4K Livestream I Unreal Fest OrlandoWatch on YouTube

The kingdom of Kovir and Poviss is to the far north of the world, beyond the Dragon Mountains. It’s fitting, then, that as Ciri peers out to the city beyond snow-capped mountains, a dragon flies overhead.

Earlier, the tech demo showed the city of Valdrest, which appears to be a new creation by the studio.

If Kovir sounds familiar, it’s referenced in The Witcher 3 by Triss as she’s asked to be court advisor to King Tancred in Kovir. Geralt is less keen to settle down in the region, though.

That’s Lan Exeter in the distance. | Image credit: CD Projekt Red

But perhaps he does ahead of The Witcher 4? Fans have speculated he may be the leader of the new Lynx Witcher school, from which Ciri learns her skills. And when that lynx medallion was first revealed it was in the snow, perhaps foreshadowing the cold northern region in which the game will take place.

The trailer also revealed Ciri’s horse Kelpie, just like in the books.

CD Projekt Red stated the game was running on a base PS5 at 60fps with ray tracing turned on. Here’s a look at some screenshots:

Thanks for tuning in to The Witcher 4 — Unreal Engine 5 tech demo and joining us during the State of Unreal 2025! #UnrealFest

The full presentation will be uploaded and shared with everyone later today, but in the meantime, here’s four screenshots straight from the demo to tide… pic.twitter.com/LL7bJH1biV

— The Witcher (@thewitcher) June 3, 2025

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In the company’s financial call in March, CD Projekt Red stated The Witcher 4 won’t be out until after 2026, suggesting it could even be a next-generation game.

The Witcher 3 recently celebrated its 10th anniversary: here’s a look back at the landmark RPG.

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The Russian Ministry of Energy is considering offering its now strictly regulated Bitcoin mining industry incentives to move to the north of the country.

The move follows Russia slapping a Bitcoin mining ban on ten regions (mainly in the south) in January of this year: Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Chechnya, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

The ban is set to remain in place until March 15, 2031, and the government is exploring plans to expand the restrictions to new regions.

Russia—with its relatively cold weather and cheap energy supplies—was historically one of the world’s top Bitcoin mining hubs. But it has increasingly suffered energy shortages since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, causing local blackouts and prompting the government to try and regulate the industry to ease the pressure.

Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy, Yevgeny Grabchak, suggested in an interview with state news outlet TASS that Bitcoin miners could repurpose the “common capacity” of unused power grid centers in northern Russia that were previously used for oil production.

“The resources of the fields have been depleted, but the power centers have been preserved and can be used by miners on a long-term basis if they benefit the economy and the energy system of the region,” he said.

Regions highlighted for expansion include “the entire north, part of the northwest, and some parts of the Volga region.”

The minister did not outline firm plans in terms of the next steps, only that the agency was in discussions with miners about relocation.

Is Russia’s mining ban working?

The initiative to ban mining in southern regions has had some success so far in terms of lowering stress on the electricity grid. The government claims that the ban has saved more than 300 MW so far—enough to power a small city.

That is not to say that these Bitcoin mining restrictions have proved especially popular in Russia. Some analysts have said moves to ban mining may cause missed opportunities for economic development and investment in poor regions.

Other Russians have highlighted that the mining ban has been misrepresented in Western media. Denis Rusinovich, a partner at the Cryptocurrency Mining Group, claimed that many large corporate miners are, in practice, still allowed to operate in these regions. He told The Mining Pod the ban is only being enforced in the case of smaller unregulated miners or private individuals.

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The Witcher 4’s northern setting revealed in new Unreal livestream

Russia Could Relocate Bitcoin Miners To Northern Regions: Report

Is Russia’s mining ban working?

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