George R. R. Martin Reveals New Hurdle Delaying The Winds of Winter

George R.R. Martin popped up at New York Comic Con and, yes, talked about the book everyone keeps asking him about. The short version: he still loves writing in Westeros, but he also loves doing a bunch of other stuff, and deadlines have never been his friend. Not exactly a plot twist, but he said it out loud.

What he actually said at NYCC

During a panel moderated by fellow novelist Joe Hill, Hill tried to sidestep the obvious by jokingly lobbing Martin a question about the NFL's New York Giants. Martin didn't take the out. He admitted, once again, that hitting due dates has always been an issue for him and that it weighs on him when contracts and timelines slip.

"I know there's all this controversy about Winds of Winter and how late it is, but I've always had trouble with deadlines. And I don't feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that."

He also made a point of saying he still cares about the book that fans have been waiting on for over a decade. He's into it, he's working on it, he hasn't abandoned it. But he didn't pretend it's the only thing on his desk. He said he loves his other worlds and shows too, which tracks with how he's been spending his time.

The bigger picture (and why this keeps happening)

If you've followed Martin for a while, none of this is surprising. He's the 77-year-old author behind A Song of Ice and Fire, the source of HBO's Game of Thrones, and he's an executive producer on various screen projects with his name on them. He's also the guy who helped build the mythology for the game Elden Ring, which should tell you how wide his interests run.

As for the books: there are five A Song of Ice and Fire novels out in the world. The last one, A Dance with Dragons, landed in 2011. Since then, updates on the final two volumes have been sporadic at best, while his TV slate has gotten busier.

What Martin says he loves working on (besides Winds)

• Wild Cards: his long-running shared-world project that he's always championed.
• Dark Winds: the AMC drama he's involved with behind the scenes.
• House of the Dragon: he's an executive producer on the Game of Thrones prequel, now two seasons in.
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: he's executive producing and co-creating this GoT spin-off, currently expected to premiere on HBO in January 2026.
• Elden Ring: he co-wrote the game's lore, because of course he did.

So, where does that leave The Winds of Winter?

Still in progress. No dates. Martin says he cares about it and is actively working, but he also clearly isn't going to stop juggling the other worlds he enjoys. If you're waiting for Winds, the status hasn't really changed: he's writing it, he knows it's late, and he's not pretending otherwise.