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  ===Development===
  HBO announced the eighth and final season of the fantasy drama television series ''Game of Thrones'' in July 2016. Like the previous season, it largely consists of original content not found in George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series. As Benioff had verified in March 2015, the creators have talked with Martin about the end of the series, and they "know where things are heading." He explained that the ends of both the television and the book series would unavoidably be thematically similar, although Martin could still make some changes to surprise the readers. When asked about why the television series is coming to an end, he said, "this is where the story ends."