HBO has confirmed what many Westeros fans feared: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, has officially been postponed to 2026. The news is disappointing, but not exactly surprising. In fact, the silence surrounding the series had already become suspicious, and now it’s almost deafening.

The miniseries, just six episodes long, wrapped filming back in 2024. Unlike House of the Dragon, which had steady leaks, teaser drops, and promo photos well before release, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has remained locked behind closed doors. No promo images, no sneak peeks at HBO events, no slow-burn marketing. The only exception was a glowing comment from George R. R. Martin himself, which, let’s be honest, is nice but not a guarantee. Martin also praised Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon until he didn’t.

So why the tight lid?

Prestige overload, or calculated restraint?

2025 is shaping up to be a packed year for HBO (or HBO Max, as the brand doubles down on its prestige label). New seasons of The White Lotus, The Last of Us, The Gilded Age, Hacks, and And Just Like That are all expected. It’s a robust lineup, built around critical darlings and awards contenders. Dropping A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in the middle of that could mean sacrificing its visibility — and its chances during awards season.

HBO has long played the Emmys game with careful precision. It’s not uncommon for the network to delay premieres or shift schedules based on award season strategies. With The Last of Us and White Lotus back on air, it makes sense to hold a new title for the following year, when the calendar is less crowded and the chances of dominating categories are higher.

So yes, it’s strategic. But also, arguably, greedy.

The Game of Thrones brand still has weight, but House of the Dragon has proven that audiences are more cautious now. The first season did well, but it didn’t ignite the same cultural obsession as GOT once did. After initially planning multiple spin-offs post-2019, HBO has already canceled at least two. It seems the network is now refining its bets: it’s no longer enough to be good — a show has to be an event.

Or is there something else going on?

Another hypothesis cannot be ruled out: House of the Dragon may be facing obstacles. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere in 2026, but the buzz seems to be lower than expected. There may be internal delays or other conflicts. Releasing A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms before ensuring the renewed success of House of the Dragon would still be, in this context, risky because it now exposes two similar contents too close to each other. In this aspect, Disney+ has done better with Star Wars, and the series in this franchise are parallel in narrative time (Ahsoka, for example), and they are careful not to glue one to the other. Or am I wrong? I may have forgotten.

The world of Westeros is in a transitional phase. Gone is the era of global Sunday night phenomena. HBO now seems focused on refining what still works. The current audience is more selective. And maybe the network is playing calendar chess.

Ironically, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a different kind of project: a more contained story, with less spectacle and more heart. A pastoral (almost romantic) interlude in a world of endless power games. And perhaps for that reason, it poses both a risk — and a unique opportunity.

The bet is now on 2026. But the real question is no longer “When will it air?” — it’s: why are they so afraid to show something that’s already done?