Daenerys, queen of the seum, Targaryen lived badly at the end of Game of Thrones – HBO
- Series Game of Throne, inspired by the novels of George RR Martin, celebrates the 10 years of its first episode which aired on HBO on April 17, 2011.
- The series ended in 2019 with an eighth season and a final episode that divided fans.
- But the end of the series does not mean the end of the saga: two volumes of the Iron Throne are expected by the fans to come and close the story and spin-offs like House of the Dragons should see the light of day in 2022.
Real unmissable weekly meeting on pain of being excommunicated from society, Game Of Thrones has established itself, from its first broadcast on HBO on April 17, 2011, as the phenomenon series of its decade. Each episode was then awaited religiously and it took a lot of courage for the fans who were unfortunate enough to be late in the story to avoid comments, reactions and other spoils of the plot on social networks.
Two years after the airing of its eighth and final season – whose final episode watched by more than 19 million viewers in the United States, had divided fans when it was released – Game Of Thrones (or GOT for close friends) continues to seduce the whole world with dragons, power stories, and manipulations …
And HBO is counting on surfing the success of its series, adapted from the novels, for some time to come. The iron Throne by George RR Martin. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the first episode, the American channel announced a special evening to celebrate the event. On the program, among others: a ” Marathrone », A viewing marathon of the series from season 1 to 8, the funds of which will be donated to 10 associations.
As for OCS, the exclusive French broadcaster of GOT, he will pay tribute to the series on April 17 through a special two-hour evening, Game of Thrones: The Series of the Decade. Enough to make fans wait while waiting for the release in 2022, of House of the Dragons, a spin-off series announced by HBO that looks back on the origins of House Targaryen.
A historic success
Game Of Thrones it’s 47 awards at the Emmy Awards, a broadcast in over 200 countries, an annual turnover for HBO estimated at $ 1 billion, a budget of $ 15 million per episode for the final season … But it is is above all a book: The iron Throne – sold more than 85 million copies worldwide – in which its author, George RR Martin, achieves a clever mix between fantasy, a very unifying genre, and inspirations drawn from history.
For Florence Lottin, editorial director at Pygmalion – French publishing house of Iron Throne – it is this historical “realism” present in the books which explains the success of the saga in France. “Unlike Tolkien, also a pillar of heroic fantasy, George RR Martin, offers a magical universe but sufficiently tenuous to be close to our world, in particular by echoing certain parts of history”, explains the director editorial.
Indeed, one of the major inspirations of Iron Throne is the history of France with the book The Cursed Kings by Maurice Druon. A choice which also contributes to the enthusiasm around the saga, according to Florence Lottin. “Power games have always fascinated and George RR Martin’s passion for history brought a geopolitical aspect to his story. Thanks to this wealth of themes, the saga contains the ideal ingredients to please a large audience: betrayals, successions and very strong intrigues, ”she explains.
For Aurélie Paci, co-author of Mysteries of the Iron Throne – Volume 2, The Clarity of History, the haze of legends, the series also attracts thanks to its logical and plausible side and its antiheroes that we found until now in breaking Bad or The Sopranos (formerly the most watched series of HBO before being dethroned by Game Of Thrones in 2014). “ The characters have very human reactions. When one of them commits an action, he pays the price and is not saved by the scenario. The spectator can then easily enter into empathy with them ”, declares Aurélie Paci.
A series carried by the Internet
Until 2019, Game Of Thrones took the lead among the most pirated series in the world, crossing the 1 billion illegal views mark for its 7th season. Thanks to its weekly format, Game of Thrones took advantage of the advent of streaming and social networks to develop its virtual community present every week to debate, as soon as an episode comes out, the new deaths and its intrigues. .
From then on, groups of fans quickly emerged on social networks. In France, the most notable of these is “ The Night Watch », With reference to the Night’s Watch, military organization from the series. Originally created in 2005 for fans of the books The iron Throne can exchange and gather knowledge on the works, the group quickly became the French-speaking site of reference on Game Of Thrones in particular thanks to its very complete online encyclopedia, enriched by fans.
“At the start we were around a hundred members. But from the broadcast of the first episode, the site traffic exploded with a daily number of visitors which rose to 50,000 for the 8th season. Over time, the typical fan profile has become younger and we have also seen many history teachers consult our site, ”smiles Aurélie Paci, also vice-president of the Night Watch.
Towards a decrease in the phenomenon?
With the end of the saga on a final season and a final episode which has been widely criticized by fans, should Game of Thrones be worried about its popularity in the years to come? ” Quite honestly I don’t think so, says Florence Lottin, editorial director at Pygmalion, Just as Lord of the Rings never went out of fashion, Game of Thrones will always be a benchmark in my opinion. Especially since the literary saga is not over. There are still two volumes to complete the story ”, she adds.
On the networks, fans are not lacking in creativity and do not hesitate to use humor to renew the GOT universe and make it last despite the end of the series. In February 2019, shortly before the release of the 8th and final season, Oscar A. embarked on the creation of a “Game of Thrones Neurchi” on Facebook. The “Neurchi” – verlan de “chineur” – are specialized online groups on which those passionate about a theme exchange and share humorous content (memes) often stemming from Web culture. “The attachment to certain protagonists like Tywin and Tyrion Lannister makes it possible to exacerbate their qualities and their faults in the memes, and this is what is most successful,” says Oscar A.
On “Game of Thrones Neurchi”, the more than 10,000 members therefore have fun making fun of characters or intrigues through montages to continue to bring them to life. “With the frenetic pace of current series releases, it’s obvious that GOT is slowly fading from fans’ short-term memories. We must therefore find alternatives to maintain the Game of Thrones hype, ”explains Oscar A.
New derivative series, like House of the Dragons based on the prequels of George RR Martin’s story, also intend to restore this “hype” by 2022. But for Aurélie Paci, if HBO wants to hope to unite as many people with these next sagas, the channel will have to set the bar very high: “HBO is trying to do with Game of Thrones what Disney is already doing with Marvel or Star Wars. However, these spin-offs will arrive in a context of competition and outbidding in the number of series on the platforms. It will therefore be necessary to avoid an effect of weariness vis-à-vis the public who keeps in mind the disappointment of the end of season 8. This time, HBO will not have the right to make mistakes. “