It’s official: Stranger Things will end with season 5 at Netflix after its fourth season bows this summer. Netflix has also announced that the fourth season will air in two batches. The show ending with its fifth season is not surprising as it has always been stated that the show was intended to have four or five seasons.

The first half of the episodes will drop on May 27 and the rest will land on July 1. Co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer penned an open letter to fans about the season being split, season 5, the show ending– and they hinted how the world could continue.

“Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,” they wrote in part. “At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four but — as you’ll see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. It’s been a little while. With nine scripts, over eight-hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one. Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Given the unprecedented length, and to get it to you as soon as possible, Season 4 will be released in two volumes.”

“There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things: new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes,” they continued later in the letter. “But first we hope you stay with us as we finish this tale.”

Here’s the official season 4 description:

It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.

Check out the full letter from the Duffers below:

The series stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson and new season 4 stars Jamie Campbell Bower, Eduardo Franco, Joseph Quinn and Myles Truitt.