'Game of Thrones' Season 8 Air Date, Ratings, Deaths: HBO Head Reveals Reasons Behind Final Installment's Delay

“Game of Thrones” Season 8 is set to conclude the epic fantasy saga that has accumulated millions of fans all over the world. Indeed, one would only need to search on YouTube reaction videos of people to find out just how popular the show is.

Or better yet, pull up the ratings chart and see the audience growth of the series climbing as the years went by. When it started, the brainchild of George R. R. Martin only had a 2.52 rating average but last season brought that number to 10.26. And with “Game of Thrones” Season 8 being the last one for the fantasy saga, it’s safe to say that figure will climb much higher.

What’s more, the delay will only make fans more ravenous to dive into Westeros yet again. “Game of Thrones” Season 8 has been set back by HBO because it wanted the finale to be as perfect as they can make it.

HBO head Casey Bloys spoke with Entertainment Weekly and said that the three main reasons for the delay of “Game of Thrones” Season 8 are size, quality, and the perfectionist nature of showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss. Bloys told the magazine that he’s giving the writers the time they need to polish the finale into a gleaming gem.

The HBO head added that he assures audiences that Benioff and Weiss aren’t procrastinating all this time. “They’re perfectionists and this is the soonest it can come back at a level of quality that they are comfortable with,” Bloys said.

Because of the delay, fans are left speculating on what twists and deaths “Game of Thrones” Season 8 will bring given that the show has plenty of both since it first aired on television back in April 2011. HBO has yet to announce the exact date when the finale is going to air but said it’s definitely returning in 2019.