As Targaryens are battling to protect the realm, HBO is now at war with apparent hackers. Deadline reports the season finale of House of the Dragon was leaked online early Friday. The network has since been in action to scrub the internet of illegal copies.
House of the Dragon has been a success for HBO and HBO Max as it received an early season two renewal. Premiering on August 21 of this year, the series witnessed steady increase in viewership across the earlier episodes. This was a good sign given the general consensus around the Game of Thrones franchise since its series finale in 2019. Fans were hesitant to return to Westeros after what many call one of the worst TV series endings of all time.
Occurring 172 years prior to the birth of one of the last Targaryens, Daenerys, House of the Dragon is a prequel series to the eight-season, Emmy-winning GOT. The show follows a different set of Targaryens ruling from King’s Landing during a period of peace. This peace is disturbed when King Viserys I goes against the grain in electing his only child, daughter Rhaenyra, as his lone heir. Being a woman never set on the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra’s succession is challenged at every turn, leading to an epic civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
HBO addressed the alleged theft in a statement which can be read via Deadline below.
“We are aware that the tenth episode of House of the Dragon has been posted on illegal torrent sites. It appears to have originated from a distribution partner in the EMEA region. HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K.”
According to Deadline, the original series experienced similar leaks during its tenure with episodes popping up on sites in Germany and even on Twitter.
The season finale of House of the Dragon, entitled “The Black Queen” will air Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.