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Winter is here and so is the end of Game of Thrones. Well, not just yet - in a couple of years. We've now received official word from HBO that Season 8 is the final season of the entire series.
Entertainment Weekly asked the network's new head of programming Casey Bloys if the rumors were true at this weekend's Television Critics Association’s press tour. “Yes, they have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do,” Bloys begins, referring to showrunners D.B Weiss and David Benioff. “Believe me, as the new [programming executive] coming in, if I could get them to do more I would take 10 more seasons. But we take their lead on what they think they can do the best version of the show.”
Whispers and rumblings about the series' eventual end have been doing the rounds for a while. It's already been announced that the show has about 13 episodes left until the storyline is wrapped for good, and we know the last two seasons will have abbreviated episode counts. Season 7 is cranking out a mere seven episodes compared to the usual ten. After a bit of number crunching that leaves season 8 with just ... *gulp*... SIX EPISODES. But Bloys says that the episode count is still unconfirmed for the final season.
As the backend of season 6 saw the characters of Westeros facing that long-teased winter, certain steps were taken to better accommodate that frosty, snowy time of year. Production on the upcoming season started later than usual, so instead of a spring 2017 premiere we've now got to wait an entire year to see any new episodes.
Game of Thrones returns for season 7 in Summer 2017.
Images: HBO
