Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) seen from behind in The Witcher season 4 First Look

The Witcher season 4 is set to premiere in 2025, and the Netflix series’ biggest competition isn’t what viewers might expect. There’s a lot of pressure on The Witcher‘s upcoming season, as it must successfully replace Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia and turn the show around after season 3’s criticisms. Liam Hemsworth’s interest in his Witcher role inspires confidence, and there are reasons to be positive about The Witcher season 4. However, it’s worth noting that the series has plenty of competition to contend with in 2025.

There are a number of highly anticipated fantasy shows coming out in 2025, from The Wheel of Time season 3 to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. But while these are direct competitors to The Witcher, there’s a more worrisome fantasy project it will be compared to. The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep may be from the same streaming service and franchise, but it will set a high bar for the original show’s fourth season by debuting beforehand.

The Witcher Season 4’s Most Worrisome 2025 Competitor Is Another Witcher Project

Sirens Of The Deep Could Highlight The Live-Action Show’s Weaknesses

The Witcher Liam Hemsworth first look at Geralt Geralt looks down in disgust in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep A merman looks angry in the Witcher Sirens of the Deep Yennefer and Geralt swim in a stream in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep Geralt charging up a power in his hand in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep The Witcher Liam Hemsworth first look at Geralt Geralt looks down in disgust in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep A merman looks angry in the Witcher Sirens of the Deep Yennefer and Geralt swim in a stream in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep Geralt charging up a power in his hand in The Witcher Sirens of the Deep

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep will debut on February 11, 2025, placing its release date ahead of The Witcher season 4’s — and that could work against the original series. While The Witcher has gotten criticism over its past three seasons, its prior anime movie — Nightmare of the Wolf — was received positively. Its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score speaks to that, and judging by Sirens of the Deep‘s trailer, it could continue this trend. If it proves as successful as Nightmare of the Wolf, it will set a high standard for The Witcher season 4 to live up to.

Sirens of the Deep‘s strengths could also highlight any weaknesses The Witcher season 4 has, as it’s likely the two projects will be compared to one another. After all, even if season 4’s release date hasn’t been revealed yet, it’s confirmed they’ll be coming out during the same year. Given that season 4 is a transition period for The Witcher, it already has challenges to overcome. Sirens of the Deep may make those more obvious, especially with another Geralt actor and a powerful format.

Why The Witcher: Sirens Of The Deep Could Actually Hurt The Original Series

Its Geralt Casting & Animated Format Could Be Stronger

Geralt unsheathes his sword in The Witcher - Sirens of the Deep promo art

With Nightmare of the Wolf doing so much better than The Witcher, Sirens of the Deep‘s success could confirm a harsh truth about the franchise: that an animated format is better suited to adapting it. If yet another animated project fares better than the original series, it will raise questions about whether Netflix took the right approach with the overall franchise. It will highlight what could have been, making any season 4 problems more disappointing.

The anime movie welcoming original Geralt voice actor Doug Cockle back to the role could also make it more difficult for viewers to adapt to Hemsworth, as there’s little doubt Cockle’s performance will impress. It will be difficult enough for Hemsworth to live up to Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt, no matter how great his acting is. Giving viewers another Geralt to compare him to right before The Witcher season 4 drops is a questionable choice. Hopefully, the newest outing succeeds regardless of Sirens of the Deep — but the anime film may make that harder.