'Game of Thrones' likely to end after season 8, says HBO chief

HBO's "Game of Thrones" will likely end after Season 8.

The pay channel's programming president Michael Lombardo addressed the show's imminent ending at Thursday's Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, California.

"[Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] are feeling there's probably two more years after Season 6, that's what we're looking at right now," Lombardo told reporters. "We hope that they would change their mind, but that's how they are feeling now."

"GOT" fans may dislike any talk of the show's ending, but there is a silver lining in the form of a possible prequel or other spin off.

"We would be open to anything [Benioff and Weiss] want to do, there is enormous amount of storytelling in that world," Lombardo said. "[But currently,] the focus is on figuring out the next few years of the show."

"Game of Thrones" is set to return to HBO for its sixth season in Spring 2016.