The Winds of Winter release date is still not announced and it is just two more months before the deadline hits. George RR Martin promised that he will have the book in his hands when he visits the Worldcon in New Zealand this year. While the event has been canceled and will only be live streamed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline doesn’t change.
GRRM should have Winds of Winter before July 2020 as he promised to finish the book. Martin has even revealed that he is giving enough to write “The Winds of Winter” under self-isolation over the coronavirus outbreak. But there are so many reasons for “The Winds of Winter” delay and even the Game of Thrones ending is a major factor in that.
George RR Martin was Busy in other Projects
George RR Martin was supposed to launch “The Winds of Winter” in 2018 but it got delayed as the 71-year-old author got busy in other projects. Martin started to work on the “Fire and Blood” novel which is a detailed Wikipedia of sort containing the history of House Targaryen. HBO is currently working on the Game of Thrones prequel spinoff titled, “House of the Dragon” which will be based on Fire and Blood by GRRM.
Happy to announce that Fire & Blood, the inspiration behind the upcoming House of the Dragon, will release in paperback on May 5th in the US, Canada, and UK. This paperback edition will include 5 brand new illustrations. Pre-orders begin soon! https://t.co/yluQ0zFfcJ pic.twitter.com/sYq0HwTPjJ
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) January 13, 2020
It is considered the biggest reason why George RR Martin delayed Winds of Winter as he was busy with the TV projects. Martin finds it easier to write for the TV shows and even the pay is better and hence he keeps delaying TWOW book for the past few years.
The Winds of Winter vs Game of Thrones Ending
The Winds of Winter will have a very different story compared to the Game of Thrones TV show. Bran Stark will have so much more to do in the book and he won’t be made king, unlike the show. Even Dany’s arc was kind of illogical in the show, as she won’t turn into a mad queen just after a few losses.
Arya killing the Night King was also a joke, that George RR Martin will never put in Winds of Winter storyline. There will much more characters and plot points in the book compared to the show. The Winds of Winter ending will be totally different from Game of Thrones and even George RR Martin has admitted to rewriting some chapters.