Game of Thrones fans waited for the season 7 premiere date to be revealed during a Facebook Live stream on Thursday, March 9 that kept the suspense burning.
HBO held the event, in which a plate unveiled the date (July 16) in a gigantic block of ice. Fans had to type "Fire" in the comments section to prompt blowtorch flames to melt the ice.
The slow process took over an hour long with technical difficulties, leading the event to go offline for 20 minutes.
The 142,000 viewers saw the production team speed up the process when the flamethrowers turned full blast at 3 p.m. eastern time.
Fans also got to check out a new season 7 video, featuring the sigils and dialogue of the characters, charting what's to come.
Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington, says, “There is only one war that matters. The Great War. And it is here.”
The new season has seven episodes, which is three fewer than its past seasons. HBO also released a poster, teasing fans on the ice versus fire theme.