‘Dracarys!’ to the spoilers! (Spoilers ahead, though).
This Game of Thrones season appears to be the season of leaks. However, this is not the first time that parts of HBO’s prestigious series have been leaked online.
We bring you 5 big leaks of the show so far.
1. The 2015 Leak
In 2015, the first 4 episodes of Game of Thrones Season 5 were leaked online a day before the official air date.
Season 5 saw Arya Stark’s arrival at Braavos, Daenerys Targaryen at Meereen, Sansa Stark’s marriage to Ramsay Bolton, and Jon Snow forming an alliance with the Wildlings among other things.
2. When Jon Snow was Alive!
After the 2015 leak, HBO stopped sending press screeners in an attempt to prevent the leaking of information regarding season 6.
However, in March 2016, leaked pictures from GoT sets confirmed that Jon Snow was alive after taking a dagger to his heart.
3. Script Leaks
Season 6 also saw a section of the script leaked after actor Elie Haddad posted a picture of it on Instagram. Though he later deleted the picture, fans were able to decipher some of the lines including a conversation between two Dothraki men regarding Daenerys Targaryen.
On 7 August 2017, a group of hackers posted a cache of stolen HBO files online including draft scripts of five episodes of ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7. The hackers also demanded a multimillion-dollar ransom from HBO.
Also Read: Hackers Leak Game of Thrones S7E5 Script, Demand Ransom From HBO
4. GoT S07E04 Leaked from Star India Servers
A low quality version of the 4th episode of the show had been leaked from the Star India servers on 5 August, a day before the episode was scheduled to be aired in India.
4 people were arrested on the suspicion of leaking the episode, after a joint investigation by the Cyber Crime division & PAW, Government of Maharashtra.
Also Read: Four Arrested for Allegedly Leaking Game Of Thrones S7E4
5. GoT S07E06 Leaked
According to reports, HBO Spain aired Game of Thrones’s upcoming episode ‘by mistake’ on Wednesday. This news comes just 1 day after the 4 people were arrested on the suspicion of leaking S07E04 from Star India servers.
Also Read: ‘Game of Thrones’ Leaked Again, Gets Aired on HBO Spain By Mistake
The recurrent leaks have been perceived by some fans as a marketing strategy on part of the show’s creators. However, the leaking of full episodes ahead of their premiers does damage the show’s viewership significantly.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)