It's the news fans have been mournfully suspecting for a while, but now Game of Thrones sources have confirmed that the final eighth season of the fantasy drama will be just six episodes long.

Traditionally, Game of Thrones has released 10 gripping episodes per season. However, the forthcoming seventh season will have just seven episodes as the show's grand narrative charges towards its climax.

The shortened series isn't due to cuts in HBO's leviathan budget for the show – if anything, reports suggest that Throne's major players are earning more than ever for these final series – showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have known exactly how the intertwining threads of their adaptation of George RR Martin's novels are going to be tied up.