Now that the mystery of Game of Thrones Season 6 has come to an end, the final seasons remained an open question for HBO, between reports of truncated episode orders and delayed production. Now, we finally know that Season 7 will get underway this summer, aiming for a Summer 2017 premiere with seven episodes.

HBO confirmed the landmark news in a press release, specifically that Season 7 would begin shooting this summer primarily in Northern Ireland, also setting “additional portions” to film in Spain and Iceland. Not only is a seven-episode order also confirmed (presumably leaving a final six for Season 8), we also have a direct quote from HBO on moving the premiere to summer 2017:

Now that winter has arrived on GAME OF THRONES, executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss felt that the storylines of the next season would be better served by starting production a little later than usual, when the weather is changing. Instead of the show’s traditional spring debut, we’re moving the debut to summer to accommodate the shooting schedule.

Additional details will likely arrive at Comic-Con 2016 (don’t forget the list of directors), but will a pushed premiere or short order impact any ability to enjoy Game of Thrones Season 7?

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