Oops… some Game of Thrones season 5 episodes have been leaked.

Game of Thrones has already been established as the most pirated series ever, and it couldn’t live up to it’s reputation without having the first few episodes leaked. Of course HBO didn’t intentionally leak these episodes, had they wanted early pre-releases they would’ve taken the opportunity of uploading them to HBO GO. Unfortunately links to these leaked videos are easy to find through Torrent websites, Reddit or even illegal streaming websites too. The first two episodes are simple to find, yet rumours suggest that up to five episodes have been leaked – but yBaX-Start have found it difficult to verify that.

Hopefully what will scare pirates away from the leaked episodes is the horrible quality which differs far from the standardised 720p or 1080p we expect from modern television. However the episodes still have the same sound and video effects as it will be when premiered tomorrow. Doctor Who had a similar problem when the first few episodes were leaked too, however the BBC were less worried as not only was there poor picture quality, but there were also unfinished sound and video effects too. HBO are not in this fortunate position. Of course no matter how many people download these first few episodes, it won’t prevent the premiere audience figures from being extremely successful. The fantasy series has become too mainstream so that many are going to watch the programme as it airs on television.

As a fan of the series – I have one request. It’s been debated whether pirating can be morally right in some ways, but it’s clear that pirating the series before it broadcasts can be immoral. If you do happen to watch the series, please do not distribute the information using comments, forums and social networking. It’s increasingly difficult in this modern age to escape spoilers when something is leaked, but it’s worth a try to ask for people not to. Yet looking to forums as it is, many fans of the book series aren’t reluctant to discuss potential spoilers of the television series, so I doubt how strong people who watch the leaked episodes can be.

Game of Thrones legally is broadcasted April 12th 9PM on HBO.