‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 7 Premiere: 5 Release Date Facts, You Need To Know
The internet, and Game of Thrones fans, were recently sent into a tizzy, as word spread that IMDB had published the official premiere date for Game of Thrones Season 7. There is just one small catch. The Season 7 release date is still unconfirmed. Listed below are five fast facts you need to know about the Game of Thrones Season 7 premiere date.
#1: The Game of Thrones Season 7 release date has not been “leaked.”
The pandemonium surrounding the official announcement of Game of Thrones Season 7 hit a fever pitch when IMDB temporarily posted Season 7’s release date as June 25, 2017. Winter Is Coming reported the posting before astutely pointing out that IMDB users can submit an incorrect release date, and it can be temporarily published. They speculated this was the case with the Game of Thrones Season 7 release date. Winter Is Coming later updated their initial report to relay the news that IMDB had removed the purported Season 7 premiere date, indicating their suspicions might have been correct.
#2: An official release date has not been announced for Game of Thrones Season 7.
As of now, HBO has yet to make any official announcement surrounding Game of Thrones‘ Season 7 release date. So far, we only know the time of year it will premiere. Back in July, Entertainment Weekly reported that HBO had confirmed Game of Thrones Season 7 would bow in the summer of 2017, following a filming delay to capture the accurate weather conditions for the upcoming season. As fans know, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) notified Jon Snow (Kit Harington) that winter had finally come in the Season 6 finale.
#3: Game of Thrones Season 7 cannot premiere any sooner than May 31.
The sad fact is that Game of Thrones Season 7 will not be released any earlier than May 31. Why, you ask? Well, in a move that stunned many, HBO announced last year that Game of Thrones would not be eligible to compete in next year’s Emmy awards.
Per the Emmys’ official website, the window of eligibility for 2017 Emmy consideration is between June 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017. That means Game of Thrones Season 7 would have to premiere within those dates. Given that Game of Thrones will be ineligible to compete, the Season 7 release date cannot be any sooner than the first Sunday of June 2017, which is June 4.
#4: Game of Thrones fans, and the rest of the world, could learn the official Season 7 release date soon.
A few weeks ago, Winter Is Coming reported that Game of Thrones‘ showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss would be on the roster of featured speakers at the annual, South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Winter Is Coming speculated that given the timing of their speaking engagement, Benioff, and Weiss, could use the forum to announce something within regards to Season 7. The yearly festival takes place in March, which means Benioff and Weiss will be speaking around three months, shy of Game of Thrones Season 7’s earliest possible release date, which is June.
Will fans really have to wait until three months before Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres to catch a glimpse at the upcoming season? Or at least know the date it will premiere? That seems a bit too long of a wait, which brings us to our fifth and final fact.
#5: History says a Game of Thrones release date announcement and the first teaser poster could arrive very soon.
While Game of Thrones fans endure the longer than usual wait between seasons, and for fewer episodes, they can take heart in knowing that if history repeats itself, they could be in the midst of the final stretch of waiting for a teaser poster. Last year, HBO released its first teaser poster for Game of Thrones Season 6 in late November.
A new season of Game of Thrones has traditionally premiered in April. The earliest release date was Season 3’s, which premiered on March 31, 2013. While Season 6 bowed the latest, April 24, 2016.
This means the first teaser poster came out roughly four months before the premiere of the new season. The official promotional posters for Season 6 arrived in late February. If Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres in June and the premiere pattern holds, that means fans could see the first teaser poster in February and the official poster around April.
The wait for the first official trailer could prove longer. The trailers for Season 4, and 5 launched in mid to late-January, three months before their season premieres. The first official trailer for Game of Thrones Season 6 arrived on March 8, 2016, more than one month away from Season 6’s premiere. If Game of Thrones Season 7 were to premiere in June, fans may not see an official, full-length trailer, until May.
While a great deal about the release date is still open to speculation, one thing is known for certain. Game of Thrones Season 7 will premiere this summer on HBO.
[Featured Image by Helen Sloan/HBO]
