Game of Thrones will end after season 8 in 2018

Game of Thrones fans, the clock is now ticking down how much time is left before your favorite show ends. It's been known for some time that the series, which ended its sixth season earlier this year, was approaching its conclusion, but HBO has made it official: season eight, airing in 2018, will be Game of Thrones' last. The news was delivered by HBO programming president Casey Bloys during the Television Critics Association press tour.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Bloys noted that "[showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do." He added, "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."

It was also reported recently that season seven will see a fewer number of episodes than previous years — seven instead of ten — but Bloys noted that they've yet to decide how long season eight will be.

Fortunately there's still some good news for the world of Westeros. Bloys said that HBO was open to a spin-off series, possibly focusing on someone still alive at the end of Game of Thrones. "It's something I'm not opposed to, but of course it has to make sense creatively."

Seeing as how Game of Thrones has become one of the most popular shows around the world, and that even George RR Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, has voiced support for the idea, a spin-off seems like a sure thing at this point.

SOURCE Entertainment Weekly