Considering Game of Thrones’ astonishing success, it should come as no surprise that the show has been renewed for two more seasons. Some might even be wondering why it took HBO until now to make it official, but the network probably wanted to get the official viewing numbers for the season four premiere and they were huge.

HBO shared the news on Facebook, urging fans to “Send a raven and spread the word across the realm.”

The news guarantees GoT fifth and sixth seasons. It was widely expected that the show would get two more seasons after it was confirmed last month that showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss got contract extensions for two more years. The two have successfully translated author George R.R. Martin’s expansive vision of Westeros to the small screen.

Season four kicked off with the largest audience ever in the show’s history with 8.2 million viewers in total watching it Sunday night. It was the most-watched show on HBO since the Sopranos finale in 2007. It also set records in the U.K.

You can check out our recap of the episode, “Two Swords,” here.

Game of Thrones has been nominated for the Outstanding Drama series Emmy for each of its seasons, but has yet to win. Peter Dinklage remains the only actor to win an Emmy for the show.

image via Facebook from Game of Thrones