With Game of Thrones season 8 in full swing following the release of its premiere, Winterfell, this weekend, fans finally got to set their sights on the new title sequence which introduces each episode. The now famous sequence is a bird's eye view of map of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms, with clockwork animations revealing the current status of various points of interest across George R.R. Martin's fantasy world.
This Game of Thrones intro has received various reworks almost every season to reflect ongoing developments in the story, but never has it changed so much than in season 8. Watch it above, in full, HD glory, and see for yourself. Done that? Good, now let's break down what it all means. For starters, the wall is now in tatters, decimated by the Night King at the end of Game of Thrones season 7. We then get a look at a new location for season 8, Last Hearth, which plays a big part in the premiere for anyone who has already had their living daylights spooked out of them by that scene...
From there, the intro moves onto Winterfell, which isn't particularly new... until the camera suddenly brings us inside the walls of the Stark fort, showing us the animated set dressing that plays backdrop to several key conversations throughout the show. Why has it taken eight seasons for introduction to take an interior perspective? According to an interview with Vulture, this was showrunner's Benioff and D. B. Weiss idea, as it finally allowed them to end the sequence on the Iron Throne itself by taking the viewer inside King's Landing.
And that's pretty much all we get. The Wall. Winterfell. King's Landing. Other than in previous seasons, where several factions are at play in the war for the Throne (and thus featured in the intro), season 8 brings everything to a decisive head between Jon, Dany, Cersei, and The White Walkers, and the new title sequence reflects that final conflict in typically breathtaking style. Goodness knows if the opening for the Game of Thrones prequel TV show will ever be able to match its brilliance.
For more on the current happenings in Westeros, check out the best Game of Theories theories to swot up on while you watch season 8.
