The end is coming! HBO confirms that smash hit Game Of Thrones will conclude with season eight

Game Of Thrones fans were recently left devastated at the news that the show's upcoming seventh season will feature only seven episodes instead of the usual 10.

And on Saturday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, new HBO programming president Casey Bloys confirmed more devastating news about the wildly popular fantasy drama - the end is coming.

'I think [the showrunners, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do,' Casey shared, according toThe Hollywood Reporter, confirming rumors that the show would conclude with its eighth season. 

However, like the show's large fan base, Casey admitted that he wished the showrunners had planned out a bit more.

'If I could get them to do more, I would take 10 seasons but we want to take their lead with what they could do and what the best version of the show is,' he said.

Prior to Casey's announcement, it had been confirmed that the series had been renewed for a shortened seventh season, consisting of seven episodes, rather than the standard 10.

Producers have noted that they envision a total of 75 episodes for the popular series as a whole, with the total currently sitting at 60 through season six, THR reported.

No announcements have been made regarding the episode count for season eight.

Casey did, however, comment on the possibility of a spin-off, suggesting: 'We've talked about it. It's not something I'm opposed to, but it has to make sense creatively.'

'I'm not sure the guys can wrap their heads around it when they are about to start production,' he added.

The programming president noted that while everyone was 'open to it,' there weren't any concrete plans at the moment.

Games of Thrones is HBO's longest-running and most-watched series, with the sixth season bringing in an average of 25 million total viewers (across multiple plays, DVR, and non-linear viewing).

And fans were hit with even more bad news recently, as it was revealed that the upcoming seventh season would be debuting in the summer, as opposed to its usual March or April date.

And though this year Game Of Thrones ranked up enough Emmy recognition to be the most-nominated series - for the third year in a row - season seven's later debut will keep the show out of the 2017 race.

However, the network is hoping fans will use other HBO series such as The Night Of and Divorce - a new show starring Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker, which debuts October 9 - to fill the void until Game Of Thrones returns.