Author: Trafficblast

The HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, with new seasons arriving on a yearly basis through the seventh season in 2017. Season 8, the show’s last, won’t premiere until 2019, meaning fans are waiting longer than ever between seasons.

But why the wait? Showrunner David Benioff said at the Emmys that the long wait is due in part to the size and scope of the final season.

“The final season is taking a long time because it’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done. Even though it’s six episodes, it took us … it was nearly a full year in Belfast either prepping it or actually shooting it,” he said. “I think it’s quite extraordinary what the crew and these actors have created. And I think when people see it they’re going to understand why it took so long.”

Benioff stressed that no one went on vacation or slacked off during production. The long production was needed because the final season is so ambitions, Benioff said. “The last season is far beyond what we’ve ever attempted before,” he explained. “And it’s taken a really f**king long time. I hope it will be worth it.”

While there are only six episodes in the final Game of Thrones season, each one might be as long as a movie. And it sounds like there will be some epic sequences, as one of the battles required 55 consecutive nights of shooting.

The eighth and final Game of Thrones season is set to premiere sometime in 2019. Author George R.R. Martin recently said he believes the show could have run for 11, 12, or even 13 seasons, though he understands that Benioff and D.B. Weiss want to go do new things.

HBO’s Game of Thrones ends with its eighth and final season next year, but that’s not what author George R.R. Martin would have wanted. He told Variety at the Emmys that his books contain more than enough material for additional seasons; the show could have gone for 11, 12, or 13 seasons, Martin said.

“We could have gone to 11, 12, 13 seasons,” he said. “But I guess [showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff] wanted a life. If you’ve read my novels, you know there was enough material for more seasons.”

Asked directly why Game of Thrones the TV show is ending, Martin said, “I don’t know.” That’s a question better answered by Weiss and Benioff, the author said.

Martin added that, Weiss and Benioff always wanted for Game of Thrones to run for seven seasons, so Martin and the team were successful in getting them to agree to go to eight. Martin also shared that he originally wanted the show to run for 10 seasons.

Weiss and Benioff are keeping busy. Earlier this year, Disney announced that it hired the duo to produce a new series of Star Wars films, though we haven’t learned anything about them yet.

Also in the interview, Martin praised the Game of Thrones cast, and said he understands that they are eager to get on with their lives and play different parts.

While Game of Thrones is ending, HBO is working on five different spinoffs. Some are set just 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, while others take place 5,000 years before the hit show.

Game of Thrones picked up nine Emmys this year, including Best Drama and a Best Supporting Actor win for Peter Dinklage.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed obstacle course, the Assassin’s Creed Challenge, is coming to Australia. Ubisoft Australia announced that the Challenge will be available for anyone to try at Metcalfe Park in Sydney on October 5 and 6.

Similar to the Assassin’s Creed obstacle course that Ubisoft brings to North American events like Comic-Con, the Sydney course is described as a “full size parkour course with obstacles inspired by the moves of a master assassin…”

This obstacle course was designed to look like something out of ancient Greece, which is the setting for October’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It has six stages, which replicate things you will do in the game such as climbing, swinging, and balancing on things.

As you might have guessed, the final section is the “Leap of Faith,” where participants jump off a seven-meter platform to a safe landing zone below. Those who successfully complete the entire course will get a Spartan helmet inspired by the game.

Ubisoft partnered with Microsoft for this promotion, and there will be 16 Xbox One X game stations available at the event for people to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Ubisoft is giving away three Odyssey-themed Xbox One X consoles, one each people who upload the best photo, best video, and best cosplay to Instagram and tag it with #AssassinsCreedChallenge.

You can register for the free event here on Eventbrite. It runs from 10 AM to 5 PM on October 5 and 9 AM to 5 PM on October 6. There will also be food trucks.

Odyssey launches on October 5 for PS4 and Xbox One. It will also be available on Nintendo Switch, but only in Japan.