HBO Renews GAME OF THRONES For Two More Seasons

Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming, announced today that Game of Thrones will return to the network for seasons five and six. “Game of Thrones is a phenomenon like no other,” noted Lombardo. “David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with their talented collaborators, continue to surpass themselves, and we look forward to more of their dazzling storytelling.”

The show enjoyed its biggest season opener this week — 6.6 million viewers, up 52% over last season’s first episode — and even caused a major crash of the HBOGo servers from too many people wanting to watch the season premiere online.

Based on A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of novels by George R.R. Martin, the show is”an epic story of treachery and nobility set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years, and only the lust for power is eternal.” In recent weeks, there have been concerns raised as to whether or not Martin will be able to stay ahead of the show, as his next two books are not yet complete, and the TV series is quickly catching up. In a recent interview, however, Martin figures that he has at least two more years before his next book needs to be finished.