HBO Max Explains What Happened With That Weird Email Some Subscribers Got Yesterday

Jeffrey Wright looms in a darkened room, with a robot standing behind him, in Westworld.

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If you happen to be an HBO Max subscriber, then you may have received a really weird email that felt like something out of Westworld. Containing a cryptic message discussing an “integration test,” the enigmatic message went out to many people on the streaming platform's mailing list, causing much confusion in the process. Unlike a season of any twist-driven HBO drama, however, the wait for answers didn’t take ten combined hours of theatrics, as all was explained in an official capacity. And as you’d expect, it was all a simple mistake.

Through the official HBO Max Help feed on Twitter, the bizarre situation was made crystal clear. No, HBO Max's integration test isn’t an exercise in fidelity involving any Delos-created robotics, so you're in the clear of a robot uprising...for now. But we now have an idea of what happened behind the scenes, thanks to the explanation provided below. It's pretty cut and dry, with just a hint of humor to liven things up:

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Oh, that poor HBO Max intern. Just when they thought it was safe to potentially execute a company wide procedure, this happens. I'm pretty sure Emilia Clarke is now going to blame that intern for Game of Thrones' infamous coffee cup snafu. So what in the wide world of The Nevers is an “integration test?” Well, it could very well be a test of the integration between the Warner Bros and Discovery email systems. Seeing as how the two companies recently underwent a massive merger, it can be assumed that their communications departments are going to be consolidated under a new digital structure in the future.

As for the contents of the message, they aren’t that exciting. If you thought it would include a peek into August’s premiere lineup a little early, or maybe a leaked scene from the Sex and the City legacyquel series, the reality is much more mundane. All that was included in this mistaken email was the following line of text:

This template is used by integration tests only.

It’s all pretty meat and potatoes when it comes to this email snafu, as there’s no Men In Black/21 Jump Street crossover hiding in plain sight. Thankfully, all that’s come out of this incident is a kindhearted laugh, along with a multitude of jokes about that unnamed HBO Max intern. But it’s still funny to think that, for a brief moment, the select number of people that got that mysterious looking email may have been temporarily questioning their realities that much harder.

Should you be a Westworld fan who got to the bottom of this story waiting for some news on Season 4, never fear. According to Jeffrey Wright himself, production has started, and an old friend is back for the ride. But if you’re not an HBO subscriber, or want to refresh your Westworld knowledge, you definitely need to go to HBO Max. Newcomers should check out the current subscription offer that’ll act as the ticket to all of the HBO originals and Warner Bros debuts one could ask for in 2021!

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.