A leak hits the final episode of "House of the Dragons" just two days before it is set to premiere, and HBO is disappointed about it.
The finale of the "Game of Thrones" sequel is making its rounds on the internet after being distributed unlawfully by partners in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, The Guardian reports.
HBO Says That The Leak Disrupts The Viewing Experience
The Verge says that HBO condemns the posting of the "House of the Dragons" finale on illegal torrent sites, which could mean that spoilers can be floating around on social media.
The US channel has released a public comment confirming that Sunday's episode called "The Black Queen" has been released unofficially.
Because of this, HBO has started to aggressively monitor the spread of the leak, and has begun to pull the copies they have found from the internet.
This is not new territory for HBO as the franchise's "Game of Thrones" has also suffered the same fate when it was still airing.
While this is the first leak of the season, hackers have also leaked the final seasons of the "House of the Dragons" prequel for a multimillion dollar ransom demand.
In Seasons 7 and 8, episodes have been prematurely released on both illegal sites and platforms such as Direct TV and Amazon Prime Video ahead of their intended schedules.
During the show's run, Digital Spy writes that leakers have also routinely released scenes and episodes ahead of their TV airing.
In connection with the incident, Director David Nutter encourages fans to stay clear of the spoilers, adding that real fans of the show do not want to encounter them.
Meanwhile, the show's production advises fans to use social media at their own discretion should they want to avoid the spoilers floating around.
Read More: HBO's 'House of the Dragon' Debuts to Success, Reels Back Fans for 'Game of Thrones' Prequel
'House of the Dragons' Has Been Marketed Heavily By Creators
According to The Guardian, "House of the Dragons" has gotten high ratings since its first episode's premiere, which grants HBO 29 million viewers for each episode across all streaming platforms.
Because of this, Greg Yaitanes, a director of the show, says that this might be one of the creations that he is most proud of.
Furthermore, due to good reviews, the show has received an early renewal for season two as writers hope to run the show for four seasons of 10 episodes to do "Dance of Dragons" justice.
Show creators also say that HBO's other projects relating to the "Game of Thrones" universe will include a series that centers on John Snow's character.
A prequel series based on Lord Corlys Velaryon of "House of the Dragons" is also in the plan for the US series streaming channel.
"House of the Dragons" follows the story of the events that lead to a civil war that broke within the House of Targaryen over the succession to the throne.
This series stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, and Eve Best among other names.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the finale episode will pick up with Princess Rhaenys Targaryen arriving at Dragonstone to tell Rhaenyra of what happened at the coronation at King's Landing.
The first season of "House of the Dragons" is set to end on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, and can be watched on HBO and HBO Max.
