"Game of Thrones" creator George RR Martin has clarified there will be follow up shows once the epic fantasy series runs its course on HBO but not necessarily spinoffs. And "The Winds of Winter" remains unfinished so it makes sense not to expect a 2017 release date.

Martin took to his blog to confirm the recent announcement made by HBO that the saga surrounding Westeros will be extended beyond the Game of Thrones Season 8. He revealed that projects are now underway and there are ongoing collaborations with five different writers. But Martin made clear HBO was not talking about GoT sequels or prequels.

Whatever will be finalized later on, they will be called "successor shows," according to GRRM. "I don't especially like the term "spinoff," and I don't think it really applies to these new projects," Martin said, explaining that the end products are actually fresh story lines that will make use of "secondary universe," as the general setting.

There was no intention to look back or move forward coming from the Game of Thrones as Martin dismissed the possibility of "Robert's Rebellion" or the "Dunk and Egg" as among the projects being developed by his team. GRRM said Robert's Rebellion, seen by many as the precursor to the Game of Thrones storyline, will be fully discussed by the time "A Song of Ice and Fire" gets completed.

Essentially, the author was hinting whatever questions GoT fans have on Robert's Rebellion they will be sufficiently addressed when The Winds of Winter and "A Dream of Spring", volume six and seven respectively of ASOIAF, are completed.

"By the time I finish writing A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, you will know every important thing that happened in Robert's Rebellion," Martin wrote on his blog.

And to further clarify, Martin said it would be an exaggeration to expect five successors shows to the Game of Thrones. The truth is HBO contracted his team of five writers to develop five pilot scripts that in reality will not lead to the production of equal numbers of television series.

Ideally, five news shows to replace the Game of Thrones would be great but the GoT creator reminded his blog followers: "Decades of experience in television and film have taught me that nothing is ever really certain... but I do think it's very unlikely that we'll be getting four (or five) series. At least not immediately."

None of these pilot scripts will lead to spinoffs, prequels or sequels, Martin reiterated.

As for TWoW that is now six years in the making, GRRM is clear on this subject. "I am still working on Winds of Winter and I will continue working on it until it's done."

Will the tome be wrapped up and hopefully get a 2017 release date? Such a prospect seems bleak considering the many things that keep Martin awake and busy - the five pilot scripts, four new books outside of ASOIAF and the ongoing work on TWoW.

It could be that The Winds of Winter will materialize this year but GRRM said he would need a little help from Science. "I will confess, I do wish I could clone myself, or find a way to squeeze more hours into the day, or a way to go without sleep," Martin said.