The second season of HBO‘s House of the Dragon will have fewer episodes than Season 1, according to the network.

The Game of Thrones prequel series will contain eight episodes instead of its usual 10, according to Deadline. Following its successful debut in 2021, HBO had revealed that each season would have the same amount of episodes.

While this may imply cost-cutting to some after a recent change in leadership at Warner Bros Discovery, a spokesperson from HBO has insisted that the change of plans was “story-driven” and part of a “long-term plan” for the show.

This change for Season 2 will see major events in the storyline transferred to Season 3, including a big battle scene. The forthcoming installment of the show is set to premiere in the summer of 2024.

Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, who wrote the original material for the show in his book Fire & Blood, has previously said that House of the Dragon will need four seasons to appropriately tell the story.

“I am thrilled that we still have 10 hours every season to tell our tale,” Martin wrote on his blog last October. “I hope that will continue to be true. It is going to take four full seasons of 10 episodes each to do justice to the Dance of the Dragons, from start to finish.”

Meanwhile, the show’s co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal has revealed that Season 2 will feature five new dragons.

Condal said we’re “going to meet five new dragons,” but didn’t elaborate on their identities or riders.