It may seem as if it was a no-brainer, but apparently there was some doubt over whether HBO’s signature series Game of Thrones would be back after the sixth series, which starts this weekend.

HBO simply confirmed in a statement that the show – along with Veep and Silicon Valley, which also return this weekend – will be back in 2017. There is no indication of how many episodes will be in the next season: Deadline suggests that there have been discussions of shorter seventh and eighth years for the series, which is now charting its own course after going beyond the material already written by George R.R. Martin.