Game of Thrones has been renewed for a seventh season

The happiest news to come out of Westeros.

Game of Thrones fans are eagerly awaiting the return of Season 6 because there are so many cliffhangers that need to be answered. The executives at HBO must be very happy with what they've seen, though, because they've just approved another season of the superb show. Ok, we didn't need Bran Stark levels of foresight to predict this decision, the show set a new record at the Emmys by picking up a record-breaking 12 awards, but the news is still infinitely better than being told that you're invited to be a guest at the Red Wedding. The most intriguing detail of the announcement though was HBO's refusal to confirm the number of episodes they have signed off on for Season 7. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have previously suggested they are considering shortening the series to seven episodes next year and six the year after, in the style of the final seasons of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, but we're still left wondering about that move after this announcement. Much like most of the characters in the show, let's just get through Season 6 and see what happens from there. Winter is coming.