“Game of Thrones”
Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) will kick of “Game of Thrones” Season 7 seated on the Iron Throne — but what does that mean for those around her? HBO

HBO hit series "Game of Thrones" will end after Season 8 in 2018, the network announced Saturday. Last year, "Game of Thrones" received a record 12 Emmy Awards for a series in a single year.

"[GoT executive producers Dan Weiss and David Benioff] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do," Casey Bloys, HBO's president of programming, said Saturday at the summer Television Critics Association press tour. "Believe me, being the new guy, if I could get them to do more, I would take 10 more seasons. I take their lead on what they think they can do the best version of the show."

Bloys said at the conference that the number of episodes for the final season has yet to be determined. The seventh season, which will have seven episodes instead of the usual 10, is expected in summer next year.

When asked if the franchise was considering a spinoff, Bloys said that they have talked about it.

“It’s something I’m not opposed to, but of course it has to make sense creatively. I’m not sure that [Benioff and Weiss] could really wrap their heads around it when they’re just about to start production [on season 7]. It’s a pretty intense production, they’re about to start production soon. I’m open to it. The guys weren’t opposed to it, but there’s no concrete plans for it at this point,” Bloys said, according to Entertainment Tonight.