HBO is set to play more 'Games.'

The network has decided to give 'Game of Thrones' a second season after Sunday's airings of the show pulled in more than 4.2 million viewers.

"We are delighted by the way [executive producers] David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have brought George R.R. Martin's amazing book series to the screen, and thrilled by the support of the media and our viewers," HBO president Michael Lombardo said in a statement. "This is the continuation of an exciting creative partnership."

EW reports that 2.2 million viewers tuned in to the first airing of 'Game of Thrones,' and a whopping 1.2 million viewers watched a second airing of the show. A third Sunday broadcast pushed the total viewership for the night to 4.2 million.

Cable networks increasingly look to the cumulative tune-in that one episode of television gets over several days or even a week, and once Monday's totals are added in -- HBO aired 'Thrones' on several channels the day after Sunday's premiere -- viewership for the show will likely look even healthier.

'Thrones' may not be a giant hit at this stage (the similarly cultish 'Walking Dead' snagged 5.3 million viewers in its AMC premiere), but 'Thrones' viewership totals are certainly respectable, and it's worth noting that the show had a weak lead-in in the form of the anemically rated 'Mildred Pierce.'

I asked a representative for the network how many episodes the second season will get but was told that no further information is available at this time. No date was given for season 2, but 2012 seems likely.

Will viewership grow in coming weeks, as was the case during the first season of 'True Blood,' a genre show that went on to become a bona fide smash? HBO is certainly willing to find out.
'Boardwalk Empire' got a second-season renewal shortly after its September premiere, but the Atlantic City drama also pulled in 4.8 million viewers in its first airing on HBO (its cumulative total for its premiere night was 7.1 million).

HBO is in the business of creating buzzworthy, must-see TV shows for various sub-segments of its subscriber base, and given the drama's generally positive critical reception and the show's fervently devoted fanbase, HBO is clearly viewing 'Thrones' quite positively at this stage.

Executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said in a conference call last week that they were already in unofficial pre-production on a second season. They've begun sketching out the second season of the show, which would follow the events of 'A Clash of Kings,' the second book in George R.R. Martin's 'Song of Ice and Fire' series.

HBO executives told EW last week, even before the show premiered, that they were feeling relatively hopeful about ordering more 'Thrones.' Financially speaking, it makes sense for HBO to make additional seasons of the expensive drama in order to earn back the network's massive initial investment. "You don't want to see shows like this that are a big investment do one season and out," HBO executive Sue Naegle told EW.

My personal hope? That season 2 of 'Thrones' gets more than the 10 episodes season 1 got. Martin's story gets bigger with every book, and to do the tale and its characters justice, the show's creative team will need more time. I think 'Thrones' needs at least 12 or 13 episodes to do season 2 right. (Martin, who wrote episode 8 of season 1, is set to script at least one season 2 episode, which he confirmed in this interview.)

For my review of 'Game of Thrones' first episode and other 'GoT fare, look here.

Follow @MoRyan on Twitter.