“Winds of Winter” Release Date: Lack of Updates a Sign of a Delay?

Is "Winds of Winter" getting pushed back once again?

There have been no real updates regarding "Winds of Winter," the sixth book of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series," which the HBO TV show, "Games of Thrones," is based on, leading many people to start to speculate that the book is being delayed.

The latest rumors are claiming that Martin's progress might have slowed down significantly over these past few months despite stating that the book is his number one priority. "Winds of Winter" is supposed to come out sometime next year. Fans were assuming that the book would be released before the start of "Games of Thrones" season six, which will most likely premiere in April. However, now, fans think that the book might come out later on in the year.

Since these are all speculations, the book could still be coming out in early 2016. Another possibility is that Martin, who has been attending and hosting different events, from baseball games to "Outlander" screenings, might already be finished with the book. The book could be in the process of getting finalized. In this scenario, the release date could be kept a secret to increase the hype.

Regardless of when "Winds of Winter" comes out, the TV show has continued to film on its own. The show has caught up to the end of the fifth book, "A Dance of Dragons" and does not have the sixth book to borrow ideas from.

Due to how fast the show is being produced in comparison to the books, Martin has acknowledged the very real possibility that "Games of Thrones" will end before his series. The endings might also be very different. However, since Martin helps with the scripts for the show, there could still be a lot of similarities between the two.