HBO Reacts To Leak Of Four Game Of Thrones Season 5 Episodes

Game of Thrones season 5 has premiered on Sunday night not only in the United States but around the world in 170 countries. The simultaneous release was supposed to reduce the piracy of Game of Thrones episodes. As reported yesterday, the premiere of GoT Season 5 was compromised by a leak fo the first four episodes of Games of Thrones Season 5 onto Torrent hours before the official release.

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While pirating released shows is one thing, to leak shows ahead of their official release time is another. The source is likely a reviewer who received screeners from HBO. This piracy has a very different quality than the rampant copying of released GoT episodes. 

HBO has issued a statement to BuzzFeed regarding the leak: “Sadly, it seems the leaked four episodes of the upcoming season of Game of Thrones originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them. We’re actively assessing how this breach occurred.”

This is likely a breach of a legal agreement such as an NDA. HBO is expected to try to find the leaker with the help of authorities including the FBI. 

According to TorrentFreak the leaked Game of Thrones episodes were downloaded over a million times in the first 18 hours of the leak. The leaked episodes first appeared on private Torrent tracker IPT, but quickly made their way onto The Pirate Bay and others.

The four leaked Game of Thrones Season 5 episodes are:

Episode 1: The Wars To Come

Episode 2: The House of Black and White

Episode 3: High Sparrow

Episode 4: The Sons of The Harpy

Season 5 of GoT contains 8 episodes. We assume HBO has not sent out all episodes to reviewers yet. If they did they have a big problem. If not than they have a chance to change procedures on how to release screeners.

The anticipation is running higher however for what is in store for the next season. Adapted from the A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy saga by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones is a familial feud among noble families who covet the Iron Throne in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the creators of the show spilled some detail about where the story might lead. According to what they have reported, the show till now has been going on in their own parts of the world, form east to west, each fighting their own fight. That is about to come to an end with this season and it will be the start of bigger things like the factions coming together for a bigger war for authority.

Most of the media sources have had their experts make predictions for the show, round up the deaths on the show for the past whole seasons. GoT is surprisingly the second show behind Spartans to have the highest death rate. 

The set locations in Croatia, Spain and Ireland revealed that half the Alcazar palace in Seville were closed off to public viewing while the show was in production and Queen Elizabeth II toured the Belfast studios where interior scenes are shot in June so it’s going to be bigger, better and bloodier for sure.

Benioff suggested that parts of the story will be horror in true sense. The characters after going under rigorous ordeals are not over yet with their lives. Jon Snow played by Kit Harrington will be prominent this year. The dragons of blonde warrior queen Daenerys, portrayed by Emilia Clarke, will grow in strength, while the diminutive Tyrion sports facial hair.

All that and more as seen in spoilers and sneak peeks is enough for the fans to even wake up at 4 in the morning to catch the premiere of the season 5 of Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones Season 5 premiered on HBO Sunday night at 9pm and in 170 countries around the world.