Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Game of Thrones proved how strong it could be this past week by nearly matching it’s season premiere ratings, which is a rare thing to do on television. The fantasy drama is hot as ever before, increasing viewership from last year’s episodes, and giving HBO the win they wanted. So, the network has decided to keep the fantasy coming as they’ve granted the series a third year.

HBO released a statement today, with president Michael Lombardo saying, “Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss raised our expectations for the second season – and then surpassed them. We are thrilled by all the viewer and media support we’ve received for the series, and can’t wait to see what Dan and David have in store for next season.”

Previous rumors placed that the series was already in contention for a third season, with a possible two-season pickup so that the show could film the two seasons back-to-back. While that’s still a possibility as the series has eight more episodes to prove just how dominant it can become, the third season renewal is a vow of confidence none the less.

Adapted from the George R.R. Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire, the second season is adapted from the novel A Clash of Kings, while also taking elements from the third novel A Storm of Swords, all while taking their own spin on the events. Martin has said that this second season will be very much different from the novel, and fans are tuning in every week to see the wide cast of characters prepare for the large war of many kings that’s about to break out.

Game of Thrones airs every Sunday at 9PM on HBO.