Squid Game Season 2 on Netflix: Will it happen and when will it be released?

Squid Game was the surprise streaming hit of last year; it was so popular that Netflix is releasing a competition show, Squid Game: The Challenge, where real people will compete in games inspired by the show. The nine-episode series from South Korea about people participating in a deadly series of children’s games has become a massive hit for Netflix. Indeed, the series quickly became the biggest show on the service, in terms of the number of hours that it was viewed, of all time. So when you have such a big hit, surely there’s a Squid Game Season 2 in development?

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In this article, we give you all we know so far about Squid Game Season 2. Will there be a second season, who might return if there is and, most importantly, when will it be released? We attempt to find out the answers to all these questions. In the meantime, you can sign up to watch the show now via Netflix at the link below.

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead, so continue at your own risk. 

Will there be a Squid Game Season 2?

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, admits that he intentionally concluded the show on an open-ended note but that was not necessarily a tease for a season 2. Indeed, the interview has him quoted as saying, ” . . .the pressure on me is huge now, with such a big audience waiting for a season two. Because of all that pressure, I haven’t decided yet whether or not I should do another season.” In another interview with Variety, he says he might write and direct a movie before returning to Squid Game.

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However, he does seem to be planning a Squid Game Season 2. In a Twitter post in early November from the Associated Press, Dong-hyuk stated that he is indeed in the early stages of developing a second season for the show.  In the older Variety interview, he stated adding if he does create a season two, he won’t write and direct every episode as he did in season one. In fact, he was so stressed while making the first season that six of his teeth fell out, according to Dong-hyuk. He now says that any Squid Game Season 2 will have other writers and directors handling some of the episodes.

For its part, Netflix confirmed during its fourth-quarter financial results call that a second season of the show will be made. On June 12, it re-confirmed its plans for Squid Game season 2 on its Tudum fan page. The show’s executive producer Kim Ji-yeon is quoted as saying “We are working on the script right now and making the form of the story.”

When will it drop on Netflix?

It sounds like Dong-hyuk is in no hurry to return to the Squid Game, based on his recent interviews. We definitely don’t think that Squid Game Season 2 will drop in 2022, and it’s possible we may have to wait until 2023 before we see it on the service.

Who might return for Squid Game Season 2?

In the June 2022 announcement on Tudum, Hwang confirmed that Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), the winner of Squid Game in the first season, will be back, along with The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun). He also stated that the mysterious recruiter for the game, also known as The Salesman, could return as well. He also revealed a new “character” will appear. “Cheol-su” was described as the “boyfriend” of Young-hee, the killer animatronic doll that became an iconic figure in the first season.

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