Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman tries to justify season six cliffhanger

TWD creators did what they did just to make you talk about the show more. Photo / AMC

As Game of Thrones fans sound off about the rebirth of Jon Snow after such a long wait, a Walking Dead creator is doing his darndest to justify a similar cliffhanger.

In the final episode of season six, The Walking Dead's new resident bad guy Negan was playing eenie-meenie-miney-moe to decide which beloved character to kill off.

The scene wrapped with a point-of-view shot showing Negan murdering someone but it cut to black before we could find out who, leaving fans disappointed.

Robert Kirkman, executive producer on the show and co-creator of the comic series, has penned an apology to fans, but maintains it was part of the plan.

In an open letter, Kirkman assures fans the show's creative team "weren't trying to game the audience", just to create discussion.

"Some people love it. Some people are indifferent. Some people hate it," Kirkman writes, with an emphasis on the "hate".

"We weren't trying to drive you crazy, and we certainly weren't trying to force you to come back for season seven ... we hope you were always planning on doing that and still plan on doing that."

But he makes no secret of the fact that it was all done in an effort to build talkability around the show.

"We did want you to talk. And talk you are," he wrote.

"And think of it this way ... a character you love and are going to miss is dead, and we gave you a few extra months to hope, not to grieve. Is there uncertainty? Yes. But that was kind of the idea."

As for what's next, he promises every minute of the finale was setting up something to come in the next season "that you probably won't see coming".