While it's been common knowledge that the upcoming seventh season would be shortened , rumors have been circulating that HBO was maybe, possibly trying to squeeze a few more episodes out of the final season of the series. Now, with the announcement at SXSW, it's becoming more and more clear: the end is near.As many long-time viewers of the series know, this could be both a blessing and a curse: with the sheer number of characters and plotlines, fewer episodes mean everything will be action-packed and coming to a head that much faster. It could also mean that things may get messy as the writers rush to wrap everything up, neat or not.Game of Thrones returns to HBO for Season 7 on July 16th, 2017.