HBO confirmed today that Game of Thrones’ seventh season will premiere on July 16, and debuted the first teaser for the new season. It can be seen above.
There have been tiny glimpses of the characters before today’s reveal, as seen in HBO promotional videos for upcoming series, but there hasn’t been any concrete tease of the new season until now. As seen in the clip, winter has definitely arrived at Westeros.
The great war is here. #GoTS7 premieres 7.16. pic.twitter.com/1Jna10kNuQ
— Game Of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) March 9, 2017
Part of the reason the seventh season was delayed was because winter had finally come to Westeros. Until now, each season has existed in an extended summer, but the sixth season ended with the arrival of the colder months. In order to capture the grimy, sullen feeling of the new season, the crew had to shoot later in the day and months. As a result, Game of Thrones couldn’t return for its usual March/April premiere window.
The seventh season, which will run for seven episodes, will also be the second to last for the series. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff previously confirmed they want to end the show after the eighth season.
Game of Thrones’ sixth season is currently available to stream on HBO Now.
