Yesterday, Sony announced HBO Go would be coming to PS4. Just in time for Season 5! The big catch–there’s no unbundling. This is the same app that we’ve been using the whole time, just now on PS4. You’ll need a cable subscription (or a friend’s) to subscribe.

The big question is if means that the “standalone” streaming app that was supposed to replace HBO Go is not going to be ready in time. Last fall, HBO first said they would be taking HBO Go solo, as a service that did not require you to subscribe to cable. Seen as part of the “great unbundling” this was a huge step for HBO, one they said they hoped to have ready by the premiere of Game of Thrones Season 5.

But along the way, they had some issues, and suddenly it would be that the streaming service would replace HBO Go. Apparently the bones of HBO Go couldn’t support a stand alone at this level (not surprising, considering how badly the service crashed when Season 4 debuted last year.) There was talk of building the new HBO service on the the same platform that the standalone streaming service that the WWE uses.

See the announcement, below, and check out some other video game-related news….

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George R.R. Martin – Photo By Ben Wermund Houston Chronicle

On February 27th, George R.R. Martin visited the Texas A&M campus to donate a first-edition copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. During the visit, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series from which HBO’s Game of Thrones was spawned, talked about the transition from the pages of his books to the television screen. Martin also talked about what it was like starting out as a writer, all the way to where he is now, in his career.

Watch the video and see what he had to say about character deaths in Season 5, after the jump.

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Jonathan Pryce (Photo Credit – cambridgejones.com – The Royal Academy Centenary Portraits)

As we creep ever closer to the Season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones, more and more of the cast are doing interviews with various websites across the internet. Today’s piece comes via The Sydney Morning Herald, reporting on what Jonathan Pryce had to say about his role on Game of Thrones, while in London.

See what Pryce had to say about his role, after the jump.

Beware, a description of Pryce’s character and who he is, may be a spoiler for those who’ve not read the books. you’ve been warned.

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Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark has come of age on-screen–and so has Sophie herself, becoming a legit movie star after just four seasons of Game of Thrones. Navigating the choppy waters of child star to adult fame is notoriously difficult, but Turner seems to be succeeding.

Part of that transformation includes fashion–Turner’s red carpet outfits this seasons have been quite different from her more childlike outfits from before. This may be part of what landed her a fashion spread in the UK edition of InStyle magazine–who promptly used the photoshoot to ask her for details on Game of Thrones Season 5.

Just like her on-show brother, Turner is dropping hints but playing coy with details. Check out what she has to say, and some impressive and varied looks, after the jump….

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We’re less than six weeks away from the start of Season 5, which means we can actually go to HBO’s online schedule and see what’s coming. Unfortunately, not much–not even an episode title. You can see there that the running time 53 minutes, so if you were hoping for a supersized premiere, you might be a little disappointed.

Fun Fact: As of today, if you started watching an episode a day, you’d finish right on time and be caught up for Season 5.

Second Fun Fact: If you want to know who is going to die this coming season, try asking the dead.

Pedro Pascal may have given the Red Wedding a run for its money last season in “The Mountain and the Viper”, but Richard Madden as Robb Stark still holds the title for Biggest Death in my book. And apparently that insider track to the Westerosi afterlife has given him insights on who has run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible.

Check out his clues after the jump–what is dead may know who dies….

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The behind-the-scenes feature blog Making Game of Thrones posted a new video today, in which weapons designer Tommy Dunne talks about designing the distinctive weapons of the Sand Snakes as well as Areo Hotah’s longaxe. The truly exciting part of the video, though, is actually seeing the Sand Snakes in action for the first time. Check out the video below to see Jessica Henwick, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers in full Sand Snake regalia!

Probably for visual reasons, Hotah’s axe has been extended a full foot (Dunne says the one he designed is seven feet, whereas the one in the books is described as a full foot shorter). Dunne focuses on three other weapons as well: Obara’s spear, which is similar to her father Oberyn’s spear from Season 4; Nymeria’s whip, which extends from a snake’s mouth on the handle “like a tongue”; and Tyene’s daggers, which are kris blades. The weapons are all showcased in the video in some form or another, with Jessica Henwick in particular getting a graceful crack at Nymeria’s whip, which should put Indiana Jones on notice.

The weapons with which the Snakes are associated presents another slight change in adaptation from the books to the TV show. In the books, Obara is skilled with both the spear and whip, Nymeria is the dagger specialist (usually concealing about a dozen of them on her person at once), and Tyene is a wicked poison-maker. The changes may have just been done to allow Tyene to have a more distinctive weapon, one that is both visual and physical in nature. Nonetheless, all three of the actresses look at-ease with them, and there is no nipple armor in sight, all of which bodes well for Oberyn’s bastard daughters in the upcoming season.

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For those who don’t watch Bob’s Burgers, last night they jumped on the trend wagon and did a full on Game of Thrones segment. It’s the perfect blend of GoT and cat lady humor. After being taken by their Aunt Gayle to see Yarnival (“It’s Cirque de Soleil, but with cats!”), the Belcher children come up with their best concept yet: Gayle of Thrones. Complete with cat dragons. You know I need a few of those, right? Though it might require slightly larger litter boxes…

Pace yourselves guys. You’re going to want to save your gasps. The full video is below.

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The Game of Thrones exhibition has come and gone in London. The next stop for the traveling museum of Game of Thrones artifacts and virtual reality adventuring is Stockholm from March 7th-11th. But in the meantime, HBO Buzz has put together a short video of what it was like for fans to visit the Exhibition.

John Bradley, who was on hand for the London opening, is also featured in the video–and has been added to a new film project. Check it out below.

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With Game of Thrones entering a season widely promised and expected to have massive changes from the novels, things are bound to get controversial. And, to be honest, I didn’t know how to best deal with it. I am a fan of the novels, yes, but also of the show. Fascinatingly, it was the news a few weeks back of George R.R. Martin’s original A Game of Thrones outline that managed to resolve whatever qualms I had. Game of Thrones (and A Song of Ice and Fire) is a living story.

A living story means that, regardless of initial plans, the story has changed and will change based on the interest of the writers, the budget, popularity, continuity mistakes, etc. It means that it becomes much easier to reconcile the fact that I now see Oberyn’s duel with the Mountain as the staging from the show, or that King Robert’s tragedy is granted depth by his non-book conversation with Cersei. The mild disappointment I have with the Dorne of A Feast for Crows, meanwhile, can coexist with the simple, excellent intrigue of A Game of Thrones and my excitement for the remixed version of the story in Season 5.

How did this happen? Read on….

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It’s the end of another week full of Game of Thrones news. Did you miss anything we posted? Not to worry, here is the round up of our Top Ten Posts of the week.

It’s WiC Weekly time! Have you seen the new Season 5 poster? Check our analysis here: http://t.co/LIhz38aAUy pic.twitter.com/Zcs5wf4Fp2

— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) February 28, 2015

More below!

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HBO has released a new poster for Season 5 of Game of Thrones, and, well, let’s just admire that for a second.

Some analysis after the jump….

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HBO’s Three-Eyed Raven Snapchat-style viral marketing scheme to promote Game of Thrones has finally come to an end. Once again, your final “vision” depended on who you were. Some people saw Brienne and Pod–a pair of characters we have the least amount of information on. Others saw a snippet of Jon and Mance Rayder.

These were a big change up from the other “visions” we’ve had. It wasn’t a set of instantaneous clips of Season 4 footage flashing before our eyes, ending with a single image from Season 5. Instead we got a pair of full-dialogue clips from the upcoming season. Also, for the first time, we heard people speak.

Videos of both clips below.

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