‘Game of Thrones’ Tweets ‘Winter is Coming’ and Fans Are Losing It

The official Game of Thrones Twitter account posted a cryptic tweet on Monday afternoon and the Internet nearly lost its mind. Speculation spiraled out of control after the account posted three simple words: “Winter is coming.”

Game of Thrones wrapped up its decade of TV dominance this year, yet it still feels like the story is far from over. That may be because of the mixed reviews for the final season, the upcoming HBO spinoff series and the fact that the final two books are still on their way.

It is precisely these loose ends that led fans down a speculative rabbit hole on Monday evening. In the series, “Winter is Coming” are the words of House Stark — a mantra about a half-remembered magical threat that lurks to the north of Westeros and inevitably returns again and again. It is also a simplistic slogan, encapsulating the stoic ethos of northerners.

In the real world, there are just as many possible interpretations of the show’s cryptic tweet on Monday evening. Fans thought it might be warning that there as prequel news on the way, an announcement about the series’ home video release or perhaps even news about the long-awaited next book, The Winds of Winter.

Whatever the tweet was meant to mean, one thing was definitely coming: jokes. Within an hour of the tweet going up, “Season 8” became a trending topic on Twitter, with users offering their hopes for what might be coming.

“Plot twist: the whole Season 8 were just clips from Jon Snow’s dream where not of that really happened,” one person guessed. “Hence winter is still coming.”

“The entire season 8 was Bran Stark having a vision. The real s— in S9,” added another.

Of all the many possible announcements on their way, a remake of Game of Thrones’ final season may be the least likely. However, there are some things the account could be announcing this week, depending on who you ask.

For starters, Game of Thrones Season 8 will be released on DVD and Blu-ray a week from Tuesday. There will also be a massive box set of the entire series, and there could be some news on these releases coming to Twitter soon.

There is also the book, which may be the most likely contender. Author George R. R. Martin wrote on his blog that he would have The Winds of Winter “in [his] hand” by August of 2020. To prepare for that, the publishing announcement would have to come some time soon — unless of course Martin was talking about a finished manuscript rather than a published copy.

There is also the prequel show, House of the Dragon, which was ordered to series last month. With the writer’s room assembled and the writing process well underway, there could be casting announcements or some other big reveal coming our way.

Finally, there is the very real possibility that the Game of Thrones Twitter account was simply remarking on the big winter storms hitting the U.S. this week. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the show’s slogan was applied to real-life weather phenomena.