Few episodes of television are more highly awaited than this weekend’s season one finale of ‘House of the Dragon’. But HBO Max was in for a nasty surprise when episode 10, “The Black Queen”, was leaked online yesterday. HBO Max put out a statement blaming the leak on a “distribution partner in the EMEA region,” which includes Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The press release continued, “HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K.”

This is the first major leak for House of the Dragon, but its predecessor Game of Thrones was no stranger to illegal uploads and internet piracy. It’s a fate that befalls many a popular series, and few shows had the global fandom that GOT did at its height. It’s not a surprise then that HotD, which has broken viewership streaming records, was subject to the same kind of leak. Films are no exception, as the buzzy mid-credits scene from DC’s Black Adam was also leaked during the week of its release.