Netflix Teases ‘Squid Game Universe,’ Confirms Season 2

Ever since “Squid Game” became available for streaming in September 2021, it has proven to be an international success for streaming giant Netflix.

The nine-episode series has been viewed by over 142 million households and has been streamed for over 1.6 billion hours. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk – who wrote, directed, and produced the series - has previously expressed that he would love to make a second season of the hit show, or even a third!

“As for Season 2, I do want to make a next season and I am very positive about it becoming that,” he said. “But, it is not yet officially decided, so it’s still a little bit early to discuss that. Once it becomes more official, I should be able to communicate with you, and will just say that we are trying in a very positive direction.”

Well, that time has officially come, because, in the words of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, “The Squid Game universe has just begun.”

In a fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Sarandos said that there will “absolutely” be a second season of the Korean drama, as reported by Deadline.

“The Squid Game universe has just begun,” he added.

Netflix also revealed that they will be streaming 25 South Korean shows this year, noting the success of “Squid Game” and the Oscar-winning film “Parasite.”

“They didn’t try to make the show different so that it would travel, but tried to find all the things about Korean cinema and Korean drama and build them up in a way and new levels of production values,” Sarandos said.

“It’s not like we had to go in and teach anyone in Korea how to make great content,” he added. “It’s an incredible market for that. There’s always been curiosity around the world, [the] K Drama market has always had pockets of success all over the place, but the ease of delivery that we’ve offered has pushed that into the mainstream.”

Earlier this month, the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards listed their nominees and revealed that “Squid Game” had earned a total of four nominations.

The first was for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The second was for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble. The third went to Lee Jung-jae for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor, and the fourth went to Jung Ho-yeon for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor.

Even if “Squid Game” doesn’t pick up any wins, just the nomination itself is historic: it marks the first time that a Korean series – or any non-English series – earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk was quoted saying, “Upon hearing the nomination today, I think it has to be the happiest moment since we’ve created Squid Game. The fact that not just one or two leading actors were recognized, but the whole cast being nominated as the best ensemble.”

“It brings me great joy as a director, who has cast and created the series, just being nominated,” he added.

Lee Jung-jae, who plays the lead character Gi-hun, was equally excited to hear the news.

“I think we are at a point where the quality of Korean content has improved greatly based on a lot of talented directors and all of the crew that are involved,” he said. “Now, anywhere in the world you can enjoy high-quality Korean content in terms of its entertainment value and the way it is visually appealing. As an actor, I can only hope that this love for Korean content will only grow stronger and continue.”

He's even more excited that he finally gets to make a return as Gi-hun, especially since he left fans on a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the show’s first season.

“I am personally very excited to see what kind of twists and surprises that the director is going to bring to the character in the next season,” Lee said.

“The character finally summons up a great deal of courage, wanting to right the many wrongs that he has witnessed and goes through a change of heart,” he continued. “He turns around and leaves everything else after that to your imagination.”

A release date for season 2 of “Squid Game” has not yet been announced, but fans have their fingers crossed that the second season will begin production in the coming year.