Fans were so outspoken about this disturbing 'Game of Thrones' scene that parts of the upcoming season were actually changed

Fans do have some sway when it comes to the storytelling on HBO hit "Game of Thrones."

Last May, viewers - including a US senator and bloggers - spoke out against a scene in which Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) was raped by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). Many believed it was "gratuitous" and wasn't necessary to the show's plot.

Apparently, the show's bosses heard the criticism, Forbes reports.

"[The show's creators Dan Weiss and David Benioff] were responsive to the discussion and there were a couple of things that changed as a result," director Jeremy Podeswa, who helmed two episodes last season and two episodes of the upcoming sixth season, said at a breakfast held by Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner in Sydney on Friday.

"It is important that [the producers] not self-censor," the director continued. "The show depicts a brutal world where horrible things happen. They did not want to be too overly influenced by that [criticism], but they did absorb and take it in and it did influence them in a way."

Forbes didn't clarify whether Podeswa outlined what those changes are or how the creators were influenced, but it certainly makes sense that the producers would consider the controversy as they continue to plot the series.

"Game of Thrones" returns in April 2016.