"Winds of Winter" release date pressures seem to have prompted George R. R. Martin to beg off from visiting the set as well as writing for "Game of Thrones" season 5.

Speaking to Vulture, George R.R. Martin weighed in on "Game of Thrones" season 5 and the "Winds of Winter" release date. When asked which location will he be visiting, he replied:

"I don't know. I might make it over there early next year, but I've got to finish the book 'The Winds of Winter.' So I'm making the trips I'm already obligated to make, but I'm not adding any new trips at this time. So I don't think I'm going to do a set visit this year," he said.

"Are you still going to write an episode?" the publication asked.

"Not this year, no - once again because I have this book to finish," he said.

The "Winds of Winter" release date has been speculated for months, especially since the "Game of Thrones" season 5 is threatening to go catch up with the upcoming book's events.

According to the website FiveThirtyEightLife, the process of predicting the "Winds of Winter" release date is called "Martinology," which it describes as "the pseudoscientific process by which fans attempt to predict the release date for the forthcoming 'The Winds of Winter.'"

"In October 2012, Martin told a reporter that he had written about 400 pages, but he hasn't commented on his progress since," the website reported.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, George R. R. Martin is still mum on the "Winds of Winter" release date but he did reveal huge battles between Stannis Baratheon and Ramsay Bolton as well as the Yunkai and Daenerys Targayen's army.

"I think we're gonna start out with a big smash with the two enormous battles," he said.

He also said that Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targayen, the two fan favorites in HBO's "Game of Thrones," will have their fate crossed in the next book.