Is George R.R. Martin Ever Finishing The Winds of Winter? Author's Confession at ComicCon Shocks Game of Thrones Fans

For nearly fifteen years, fans of A Song of Ice and Fire have been waiting for one thing: The Winds of Winter. At New York Comic Con on 11 October 2025, the anticipation in the room was palpable as fellow author Joe Hill began his interview with the series creator.

'It's best to begin with the question I'm sure most of the people in this room want answered', Hill said. 'I know everyone is hoping you can tell us: Can the Giants keep winning?'

The joke about Martin's favourite football team highlighted the legendary frustration surrounding the 77-year-old author's most famous unfinished work. While he has reportedly written over 1,500 pages, he has also admitted that he is 'struggling' to tie the complex storylines together, leaving the book in a state of perpetual incompletion.

Martin, for his part, was candid during the wide-ranging discussion, acknowledging the controversy and his long-standing personal battle with the clock.

'I've Always Had Trouble With Deadlines': George R.R. Martin on the Long Wait

While he offered no firm prediction for a release date, George R.R. Martin met the controversy head-on. 'I know there's all this controversy about "Winds of Winter" and how late it is, but I've always had trouble with deadlines', he admitted. 'I don't feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that'.

The last mainline book in his series, A Dance With Dragons, was released in 2011. Martin's original intention was to complete the final two books, starting with The Winds of Winter, before the HBO television adaptation, Game of Thrones, outpaced his writing. As fans are well aware, Martin was unable to do so, requiring the show to jump ahead and conclude the story in 2019 with events that have not yet happened in the novels. This delay is not new; in a January 2016 blog post, he wrote, 'I am months away still ... and that's if the writing goes well.'

But the most shocking confession of the night came when Martin admitted he has considered abandoning the current, complex version of the book. He revealed that he has a 'much simpler' and 'darker' ending in mind for the series, one that he could write much more quickly, but that he feels a duty to the fans to finish the intricate version he started. This admission that an alternate, achievable ending exists is what truly stunned the audience.

How George R.R. Martin Is Handling Fan Frustration

Martin even used humour to address the more morbid side of the long wait. 'People are speculating, am I going to die soon before (I finish the books)?', he said. 'I'm not going to die until I see the Jets and the Giants in the Subway Super Bowl. I think that means I live forever!'.

He also spoke about the regular backlash he receives when he announces any project that is not The Winds of Winter. This frustration is particularly acute when Martin posts about his involvement with successful HBO spin-offs like House of the Dragon or other planned adaptations. 'Every time that happens... half the internet goes crazy. Why the (expletive) is George R.R. Martin writing this other thing...?', he said. 'And I want to say, 'I did it in 1993, guys! Come on!''

A Career of 'Struggling': This Is Not New for George R.R. Martin

To prove his point, Martin shared anecdotes from his long career. He quipped that while working on A Clash of Kings, his second book in the series, 'Of course, I'm running late on it, as I had a wont to do'.

He told a more 'traumatic' story about writing The Hedge Knight, a novella for the 1998 anthology Legends. His editor, Robert Silverberg, threatened to remove him from the project. 'We're in September or something, and he sends me an email saying, 'I hear that you're way behind on your book. ... I'm going to have to drop you from the series'', Martin recounted.

After fighting back, he ultimately finished the story on 31 December. 'I finished it barely in time,' he said. 'That week between Christmas and New Year's, I was going ... crazy.' For fans still waiting, the story is both a comfort and a familiar frustration.

George R.R. Martin's candour has left fans with a new and unsettling dilemma. Do they continue to wait, possibly forever, for the sprawling, complex masterpiece he promised? Or would they prefer the author take his own advice and deliver the simpler, darker, but achievable ending he confessed to having in his back pocket? For a fanbase that has already endured one controversial conclusion on screen, the question is a heavy one.