The reason behind the supposed delay of "The Winds of Winter" release date could be a strategy to help George R.R. Martin finish his sixth novel. If sources are true, it looks like "Game of Thrones" season 7 will not air until a significant development for the upcoming novel is realized.
As Vine Report noted, the HBO award-winning series is stalling its production to give Martin more time to finish "The Winds of Winter." The site also claimed that because GoT season 6 featured some scenes that didn't happen in the novel, Martin might need to rehash some parts of his novel.
Despite the delay, "The Winds of Winter" author still keeps a very eager outlook to finish the novel soon. "I am not writing anything until I deliver WINDS OF WINTER. Teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions, forewords, nothing," he said in his blog. "And I've dropped all my editing projects but Wild Cards."
Meanwhile, in a Reddit forum, fans have aired out their concerns about "The Winds of Winter" release date. Many are vehemently expressing that they have lost all hope that a 2016 unveiling is bound to happen.
"It's 27th July. We're already halfway through 2016, Season 6 has come and gone like a candle in the wind, and TWOW still does not sit on my bookshelf," user stressedalmostwriter wrote. "GRRM made his infamous blog-post where he crushed our hype yet again about 7 months ago! 7 months!"
"Hold me, guys. Hold me. I don't think The Winds of Winter is being published this year, and I don't like it."
"GRRM just seems to be getting slower and slower as he ages and I've had all the optimism beaten out of me by past waits for AFFC and ADWD," user Seven Hells! seconded. "So yeah, I think we'll still be waiting this time next year."
Stay tuned for more "The Winds of Winter" release date updates here!
