It’s speculated that this is also a major reason to change the plot of the show in more drastic ways and deviate even further from the canon that’s been established by the books, and it’s not unlikely that we’re going to see that manifest itself in more ways than one soon.
Some fans have been displeased with the idea of “Game of Thrones” following a different storyline than the original “A Song of Ice and Fire”, but it’s arguably a better alternative than having to wait an extra year or two for the next season of the show while Martin finishes writing his next book.
It’s also questionable how things will go after this book and whether we’ll see another entry in the series after “Winds of Winter”, despite Martin’s intentions to continue the series beyond that.
This could open up even more opportunities for the writers of “Game of Thrones” to develop an interesting and unique storyline around the character of Jon Snow, and it could be an even stronger motivating factor for them to deviate from the books when writing his story. In any case, it will become clear what their intentions are soon enough. “Game of Thrones” is certainly in a good enough state in terms of ratings and viewership that the producers can afford to take some extra risks right now.