There’ve been rumblings for some time now about just how many episodes the final two seasons of Game of Thrones will consist of, and while we’ve already heard that season 7 will run for seven, it’s been confirmed today that the eighth and final outing will last for a total of just six.
While definitely a bit disappointing, we expected that this would be the case, as rumors haven been pointing to Game of Thrones wrapping up with a thirteen episode arc. That’s equivalent to shows like Billions and Daredevil, among many others. Except the only difference here is that HBO is splitting it up over two years for a number of production and business reasons.
At the moment, DB Weiss and David Benioff are said to be writing the final batch of episodes during post-production for season 7, ahead of its premiere this July. They’re obviously taking some extra time to get it just right, too, especially as they no longer have George R.R. Martin’s novels to turn to.
That’s something which made both last season and the next two particularly exciting, as the author’s slow writing pace means that fans of the books no longer know what’s coming in Game of Thrones. It makes avoiding spoilers easier for those who haven’t read the novels and hopefully, it’ll also give Martin some incentive to finish.
As far as this news goes, while it’s upsetting to learn that the series is slowly approaching its end, Game of Thrones is far from over. Spinoffs are in the works which should keep the franchise alive for years to come, so fans of Westeros needn’t be too disappointed about having just thirteen hours of the show left to enjoy.
