HBO was already having a bad week. Then hackers leaked episode 4 of Game of Thrones season 7 online. What will this mean for the show?
Some people just want to watch the world burn, or at least, watch what happens in the Seven Kingdoms before they’re legally able to do so. Friday morning, several media outlets reported that Game of Thrones season 7 episode 4 has now been leaked online. While one would assume the illegal sharing of the episode was part of the major hack HBO suffered earlier this week, sources reportedly told The Verge that the episode 4 leak was not related to that hack. The only things those hackers had released, as far as we know, were episodes of other HBO shows including Room 104 and Ballers and at least one Game of Thrones script, though they had threatened to release more data.
However the episode got out, this isn’t good news for HBO (or for humanity being good and decent). Following reports of the massive hack Monday morning, the media company scrambled into damage control mode, informing employees of the security breech and later in the week, enlisting the help of the FBI to determine the source of the hacking. Hackers have claimed 1.5 terabytes of data were stolen.
Variety and other sources are reporting that the leak has been tied to pay-TV distribution company Star India, as that’s the logo that can been seen in the watermark on the footage warning that the episode is for “internal viewing only.” HBO has yet to comment.
According to The Verge and other sources, the leaked footage quickly found its way onto Reddit threads and Google Drive, though the links aren’t staying up long due to copyright violations (and we highly recommend you don’t download them or watch them for the same reason). Of course, knowing the internet, links being taken down won’t get in the way of some determined Game of Thrones fans. We’re guessing plenty of spoilers, images, and other info will start floating around ahead of Sunday night’s official airing of the episode.
This isn’t the first time HBO’s dealt with its content getting out before it was supposed to get out. The company stopped giving out review copies to media outlets after footage was released early in years past and just last month a season 7 trailer was released ahead of its scheduled airing at San Diego Comic-Con.
Next: Game of Thrones season 7: 5 predictions for episode 4
How will this impact the show? Maybe not much. HBO has been pulling in record ratings this season and we don’t see that changing just because some hackers put up a grainy version early. Well, unless they swear off social media until Sunday, fans should probably be prepared to find out some details about the episode before they see it. Of course, if they’ve been keeping up with our predictions, it’s pretty much the same thing (that’s a joke, people). In the meantime, check back for updates as we learn more about these leaks.