Game of Thrones Fans Split as Winds of Winter Release Claim Appears

For what feels like hundreds of years, but has really only been 17, fans have been waiting, some patiently, and others not so patiently, for the next release in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. In the time that fans have been waiting, they’ve gotten Game of Thrones, a television adaptation of the series that took the world by storm until poor direction had it basically removed from the cultural zeitgeist. There’s also been House of the Dragon, a series depicting the lead-up to the war known as the Dance of the Dragons, with its third season airing this summer, as well as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the adaptation of the tales of Dunk and Egg, which debuted this spring, leaving audiences amazed and craving more of the world of Westeros.

And now it seems that rumors are once again suggesting that The Winds of Winter, the next book in the main series (originally meant to be a trilogy, but when finished will contain seven novels), might be closer than we think—leaving some fans skeptical and others hopeful. A tweet containing an anonymous leak states that Martin’s publisher has had the finished Winds manuscript since January, and that fans can expect an announcement about its release around Comic Con, with the official release coming in the fall to capitalize on holiday sales potential. And fans are, as expected, extremely divided over the information.

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The ASOIAF Fandom is a Fandom Divided

It’s never come as a surprise that a fandom as large and diverse as that of A Song of Ice and Fire would struggle to agree on anything, and the news of the possible impending release of Winds of Winter is no different on that front. Some are refusing to believe the source; others are taking it as gospel; some are griping about the length; and most are just complaining about the nearly two-decade wait between books. “1600 pages? Why? Why did he need to do that? Please tell me it’s actually both books – TWOW and ADOS – at the same time. I don’t want to read a 1600-page book,” said one fan, noting that Martin had once mentioned working on both books, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the series finale, at the same time. Another followed up with, “Then you are no GRRM fan.”

The potential release window being this fall isn’t entirely based on this specific leak, either, as back in December of 2025, Martin himself mentioned that he was nearly finished with Winds. But some fans are loath to believe him as the wait since A Dance With Dragons continues to stretch on. Though one did mention a previous quote that lends a bit of credence to the rumors: “Interesting how George RR Martin said he wouldn’t work on any more Dunk and Egg stories until Winds was done and he talked about writing more Dunk and Egg stories in mid January….”

One fan summed up the majority of feelings most succinctly, saying, “If this is false, the poster will go to the deepest of the seven hells, if the gods are just. If it is true, the poster is the prince that was promised, Azor Ahai reborn, and a true champion of all the gods of Westeros.”

What are your thoughts on a potential fall release date for The Winds of Winter? Do you believe the leak? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.