George R.R. Martin Expects 'Winds of Winter' To Be Released By July 2020

Much to the disappointment of fans world over, a lot of ambiguity surrounds the release date of “The Winds of Winter.” Not too long ago, fans chanced upon a cue on the official website—an advert space.

Speculations ran amok with netizens jumping into conclusions. “I know it probably won’t amount to anything, but George’s website seems to have had another small update?” asked Reddit user AnusFrey, adding, “Maybe I'm just imagining things and it’s always been there, but there now seems to be an advert space?” Diving deep into what it could possibly mean, the user added, “Maybe to capitalize on all the web traffic the site will receive when Winds is announced? Lol.”

But, the makers of the website didn’t want fans guessing for long. The space was later removed—surprisingly. “Edit: It’s now gone lol, oh well,” opined another user, visibly expressing his dismay. And just in case you thought the mystery ended there, well think again. Fans spotted another interesting update on the “Game of Thrones” creator George RR Martin’s official website. Just a couple of months ago, the Main Page of the Books featured a new section titled, “Next Publication” This development got fans to think whether the section was added to make an official mention of “The Winds of Winter’s” release date?

In keeping with what came from the horse’s mouth, Martin shared his own personal deadline with fans— July 29, 2020. So, ideally, if everything goes as per the plan or at least based on Martin’s assumptions, the book should see the light of day around mid-year. The same was mentioned in his own blog, where Martin expressed his desire to hold a copy of “The Winds of Winter” in his hands. Martin quipped that he was serious about meeting the deadline, failing to which his fans should lock him away to write.

On the other hand, things don’t seem bleak as “A Song of Ice and Fire” expert (based on the assumptions made by credible sources) is certain that “The Winds of Winter” will be published this year. “All teasing aside, I think 2020 will be the year TWOW gets published.” He tweeted, adding, “I have faith in my sources.” But the expert out rightly opined that he was sure that Martin was very unlikely to stick to the deadlines mentioned by him. Owing to Martin's poor repute in regards to sticking to deadlines, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see his default this time around, as well.