WARNING! This post contains minor spoilers for House of the Dragon season 1, episode 9!House of the Dragon’s quick reference to Yi Ti by Aemond Targaryen subtly sets up another highly anticipated Game of Thrones spinoff. While House of the Dragon is the first official spinoff to Game of Thrones, HBO already has plenty more prequel stories in development. Building from the universe created by author George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones’ prequels primarily follow stories from other regions of the world or the origins of areas and characters significant to Westerosi history. One potential spinoff already teased by Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon's premiere is Ten Thousand Ships, which tells the story of Princess Nymeria in Essos and the foundation of Dorne.
When walking with Criston Cole in House of the Dragon episode 9, Aemond suggests that Aegon could be on a ship to anywhere in the world, using the faraway Yi Ti as an example. The Golden Empire of Yi Ti, which is inspired by Imperial China, was rarely mentioned in Game of Thrones, typically referencing its history, societal advancements, and valuable commodities. As such, Aemond’s comment about sailing to Yi Ti is seemingly a nod to Game of Thrones’ potential spinoff about the area, which is using the working title The Golden Empire. George R.R. Martin confirmed on his blog that Game of Thrones' Yi Ti spinoff is animated, which brings the franchise to a new medium.
How Game Of Thrones’ Yi-Ti Spinoff Connects To HOTD
Outside of Aemond’s remark, House of the Dragon already has a key connection to the land of Yi Ti through Lord Corlys Velaryon. In addition to The Golden Empire, one of Game of Thrones’ most intriguing potential spinoffs is The Sea Snake, an origin story for House of the Dragon’s Lord of the Tides surrounding his fabled Nine Voyages. House of the Dragon explains that the Nine Voyages gave House Velaryon its vast wealth and power in Westeros, with the first trip seeing Corlys sail to Yi Ti and return home with the land’s valuable treasures like silk, spice, and jade.
It’s unclear when The Golden Empire would take place, but it could reasonably overlap with Corlys Velaryon’s Sea Snake prequel spinoff. The Sea Snake would undoubtedly include Corlys’ voyage to Yi Ti, which offers an opportunity for the animated and presumably live-action spinoffs to intersect. With the freedom allowed by animation, Corlys Velaryon could easily appear during an episode of The Golden Empire as long as it’s set during the reign of House of the Dragon’s King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. Nevertheless, Game of Thrones’ Yi Ti spinoff will demonstrate why its commodities gave House Velaryon such substantial wealth in Westeros.
Will Game Of Thrones’ Yi-Ti Spinoff Happen?
Considering Game of Thrones has seven reported spinoffs in development after House of the Dragon, it’s unclear how many will move to the production stage. Two big spinoffs, Flea Bottom and Bloodmoon (about the Long Night), were already canceled, so it’s not guaranteed that each will reach the small screen. However, The Golden Empire is the only one of three animated initiatives to receive a title so far, indicating it would be greenlit first. Since HBO is exploring new directions with the franchise, the likelihood of Yi Ti's yet-unexplored story being produced is fairly high. The other Game of Thrones spinoff shows in development include the aforementioned Ten Thousand Ships and The Sea Snake, Jon Snow’s sequel, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release Sundays on HBO/HBO Max.