'Game of Thrones' Is Ending After Season 8, But There's Hope for a Spin-Off

Winter is here for Game of Thrones fans. Sure, winter finally arrived in Westeros after so many promises (you didn't lie to us, Ned Stark), but it even feels like winter, in our GoT-loving souls. Season 7 is going to be short (only seven episodes), delayed (it's not starting until summer, instead of its usual April premiere date), and, thanks to the season's timing, not eligible for Emmys in 2017. On top of all of that, HBO confirmed Saturday during the network's summer press tour that the hit show will indeed end after Season 8.

"[The showrunners] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do," HBO president Casey Bloys said during the press tour. "If I could get them to do more I would take 10 more seasons. But we take their lead on what they [need] to make the best version of their show."

But before you get sadder than Jon Snow in a blizzard, prepare for some (maybe...possibly) good news: HBO isn't ruling out the possibility of a spin-off series.

"We've talked about it, it's not something I'm not opposed to, but of course it has to make sense creatively," Bloys said. "I'm not sure that the guys could really wrap their heads around it when they're just about to start production. It's a pretty intense production, they're about to start production soon. But I'm open to it. The guys weren't opposed to it, but there's no concrete plans or anything like that at this point."

Okay, so it's not a commitment to make our dream prequel spin-off about the Mad King, but we'll take it.