Squid Game

South Korean television series

This article is about the Netflix television series. For the Korean children's game, see Squid (game). For the video game, see Squids (video game).

Squid Game

Hangul|

오징어 게임

Revised Romanization| Ojingeo Geim
McCune–Reischauer| Ojingŏ Keim
Genre|

* Dystopian
* Survival[1]
* Thriller[1]
* Horror[2]

Created by| Hwang Dong-hyuk
Written by| Hwang Dong-hyuk
Directed by| Hwang Dong-hyuk
Starring|

* Lee Jung-jae
* Wi Ha-joon
* Lee Byung-hun

Music by| Jung Jae-il
Country of origin| South Korea
Original language| Korean
No. of seasons| 2
No. of episodes| 16
Production
Executive producers|

* Kim Ji-yeon[3]
* Hwang Dong-hyuk[3]

Producers|

* Han Heung-seok[3]
* Kim Ji-eun (Season 2)[4]

Cinematography|

* Lee Hyung-deok (Season 1)[3]
* Kim Ji-yong (Season 2)[4]

Editor| Nam Na-yeong[5]
Camera setup| Multi-camera
Running time| 33–76 minutes
Production company| Siren Pictures Inc.[6]
Budget|

* US$21.4 million (Season 1)
* ₩100  billion (US$68.9 million) (Season 2-3)[7]

Original release
Network| Netflix
Release| September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) –
present
Related
Squid Game: The Challenge

Squid Game (Korean: 오징어 게임) is a South Korean dystopian survival thriller horror television series created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. The series revolves around a secret contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of deadly children's games for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion (US$39.86 million) prize. The series' title draws from ojingeo ("squid"), a Korean children's game. Lee Jung-jae, who portrays series protagonist Seong Gi-hun, leads an ensemble cast.

Hwang conceived the idea based on his own economic struggles, as well as the class disparity in South Korea and capitalism.[8][9] Although he wrote the story in 2009, Hwang could not find a production company to fund the idea until Netflix took an interest around 2019 as part of a drive to expand their foreign programming offerings.

The first season of Squid Game was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, to critical acclaim and international attention. It became Netflix's most-watched series and received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe. Production for the second season began in July 2023, and was released on December 26, 2024. The third and final season was filmed back-to-back with the second season and is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2025.

## Premise

[edit]

In South Korea, Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father and indebted gambling addict who lives with his elderly mother, is invited to play a series of children's games for a chance at a large cash prize. Accepting the offer, he is taken to an unknown location where he finds himself among 455 other players who are all in deep financial trouble. The players are made to wear green tracksuits and are kept under watch at all times by masked guards in pink jumpsuits, with the games overseen by the Front Man, who wears a black mask and black uniform. The players soon discover that losing a game results in their deaths, with each death contributing ₩100 million (US$87,400) to the potential ₩45.6 billion (US$39.86 million) grand prize.[a][b] Gi-hun allies with other players, including his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo and North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, to try to survive the games' physical and psychological twists, while detective Hwang Jun-ho infiltrates the games as one of the guards to find his missing brother.[11][12]

In the second season, Gi-hun, who had vowed revenge three years after winning the game, participates in it again to take revenge on the Front Man and end the game for good, and is joined by police officer Jun-ho, the Front Man's brother. After assuming full control of the game following the creator Il-nam's death, the Front Man attempts to make Gi-hun see that there is no way he can end the games due to the true nature of people.[13]

## Cast and characters

[edit]

Main article: List of Squid Game characters

Cast

Lee Jung-jae (Seong Gi-hun, Player 456)

Wi Ha-joon (Police Officer Hwang Jun-ho)

Lee Byung-hun (Hwang In-ho, the Front Man)

Park Hae-soo (Cho Sang-woo, Player 218)

Jung Ho-yeon (Kang Sae-byeok, Player 067)

### Introduced in Season 1

[edit]

* Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (성기훈, [sʌŋɡihun] ⓘ)[14] (456), a divorced chauffeur and gambling addict. He lives with his mother and struggles to support his daughter financially. He participates in the game to settle his many debts, and to prove himself financially stable enough to have custody of his daughter, who is to leave for the United States with her mother and stepfather. After winning the games, he sets out to end the games and the Front Man.
* Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (조상우, Korean pronunciation: [tɕosaŋu][c])[14] (218), the former head of an investment team at a securities company. He was a junior classmate to Gi-hun, and studied at Seoul National University. He joins the game to escape the police, who want him for stealing money from his clients and racking up massive debts from bad investments. (season 1; guest, season 2)
* Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho (황준호, Korean pronunciation: [hwaŋdʑunho]),[15] a police officer and undercover detective who sneaks into the game disguised as a guard, to find his missing brother and discovers that his brother is the Front Man, the organizer of the Games himself.
* Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok (강새벽, Korean pronunciation: [kaŋsɛbjʌk̚])[16] (067), a North Korean defector from North Hamgyong Province, North Korea.[17] She enters the game to pay for a broker who can rescue her parents across the border, and to buy a house for her reunited family. (season 1; guest, season 2)
* O Yeong-su as Oh Il-nam (오일남, Korean pronunciation: [oiɭɭam])[18] (001), an elderly man with a brain tumor who prefers playing the game as opposed to waiting to die in the outside world and who is later revealed to be the game's creator. (season 1)
* Heo Sung-tae as Jang Deok-su (장덕수, Korean pronunciation: [tɕaŋdʌks͈u])[19] (101), a gangster who enters the game to settle his massive gambling debts, including money he stole from his boss and underlings. (season 1)
* Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul (알리 압둘)[18] (199), a migrant worker from Pakistan, who enters the game to provide for his young family after his employer withholds his wages for months. (season 1)
* Kim Joo-ryoung as Han Mi-nyeo (한미녀, Korean pronunciation: [hanminjʌ])[20] (212), a loud and manipulative woman. Her reasons for entering the game are unexplained. (season 1)
* Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-yeong (지영, Korean pronunciation: [tɕi.jʌŋ]) (240), a young woman who befriends Sae-byeok and previously served prison time for killing her abusive father (season 1)
* Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho (황인호, Korean pronunciation: [hwaŋdʑinho]), the Front Man, the game overseer and the winner of the game in the 2015 edition, who after his participation does not believe that there are truly good people. He disguises himself as Player 001 under the guise of Oh Young-il for the majority of season 2 before donning the Front Man alias once again.[21] (seasons 2–3; guest, season 1)
* Lee Seo-hwan as Park Jung-bae (박정배) (390),[13] a very good friend of Gi-hun who runs a bar and later enters the Squid Game. (season 2; guest, season 1)

### Introduced in Season 2

[edit]

* Im Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi (이명기)[22][13] (333), a former YouTuber who lost money as a result of a crypto scam he was involved with. He is Jun-hee's ex-boyfriend.
* Kang Ha-neul as Kang Dae-ho (강대호)[22][13] (388), a former marine.
* Park Sung-hoon as Cho Hyun-ju (조현주)[22][13] (120), a transgender woman and former special forces soldier who is short on money for her gender-affirming surgery.
* Lee Jin-wook as Park Gyeong-seok (박경석)[23][13] (246), a man who joins the game to get money to treat his daughter's blood cancer.
* Yang Dong-geun as Park Yong-sik (박용식)[22][13] (007), a repentant gambler and the son of Geum-ja.
* Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee (김준희)[23][13] (222), Myung-gi's pregnant ex-girlfriend who lost her money buying Myung-gi's crypto and is looking for a way to make a living.
* Kang Ae-shim as Jang Geum-ja (장금자)[23][13] (149), Yong-sik's mother who enters the game to help pay off her son's debts.
* Park Gyu-young as Kang No-eul (강노을),[23][13] a former soldier and North Korean defector who works for the game as a guard, tasked with defending the game and killing eliminated players, to find her daughter who remains in North Korea.[24]
* Chae Kook-hee as Seon-nyeo (선녀) (044), a loudmouthed, neurotic self-proclaimed shaman.[25][13]
* Lee David as Park Min-su (박민수) (125), a silent and timid man who has trouble speaking his mind.[23][13]
* Choi Seung-hyun as Choi Su-bong / "Thanos" (최수봉) (230), an arrogant, cocky rapper and ecstasy addict who targets Myung-gi throughout the course of the game because he was the victim of one of his crypto scams.[23][13] (season 2)
* Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu (남규) (124), another victim of Myung-gi's crypto scam. He acts as Thanos' right-hand man and joins him in tormenting other players, especially Myung-gi and Min-su.[23][13]
* Won Ji-an as Se-mi (세미) (380), a tomboyish young woman who befriends Min-su[23][13] (season 2)
* Song Young-chang [ko] as Im Jeong-dae (임정대) (100), a senior who enters the games to pay off massive debts he has[26]
* Kim Si-eun as Kim Young-mi (김영미) (095), a young woman who befriends Hyun-ju[27][28][29][13] (season 2)
* Jeon Seok-ho as Choi Woo-seok, a loan shark who Gi-hun previously owed money to[30]
* Oh Dal-su as Sea Captain Park, a sailor who assists Jun-ho and later Gi-hun's loan sharks in attempting to find the location of the games and take down the superiors.[31][32]

## Episodes

[edit]

Season| Episodes| Originally released

|
|

1| 9| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
2| 7| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
3| TBA| June 27, 2025 (2025-6-27)[33]

### Season 1 (2021)

[edit]

Main article: Squid Game season 1

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date [34]

|
|
|
|
|

1| 1| "Red Light, Green Light"
Transliteration: "Mugunghwa Kkoch-i Pideon Nal" (Korean: 무궁화 꽃이 피던 날)[d]| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
2| 2| "Hell"
Transliteration: "Jiok" (Korean: 지옥)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
3| 3| "The Man with the Umbrella"
Transliteration: "Usan-eul Sseun Namja" (Korean: 우산을 쓴 남자)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
4| 4| "Stick to the Team"
Transliteration: "Jjollyeodo Pyeonmeokgi" (Korean: 쫄려도 편먹기)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
5| 5| "A Fair World"
Transliteration: "Pyeongdeung-han Sesang" (Korean: 평등한 세상)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
6| 6| "Gganbu"
Transliteration: "Kkanbu" (Korean: 깐부)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
7| 7| "VIPs"| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
8| 8| "Front Man"
Transliteration: "Peuronteumaen" (Korean: 프론트맨)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)
9| 9| "One Lucky Day"
Transliteration: "Unsu Joeun Nal" (Korean: 운수 좋은 날)[e]| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| September 17, 2021 (2021-9-17)

### Season 2 (2024)

[edit]

Main article: Squid Game season 2

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Directed by| Written by| Original release date [36]

|
|
|
|
|

10| 1| "Bread and Lottery"
Transliteration: "Ppang-gwa Bokgwon" (Korean: 빵과 복권)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
11| 2| "Halloween Party"
Transliteration: "Hallowin Pati" (Korean: 할로윈 파티)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
12| 3| "001"| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
13| 4| "Six Legs"
Transliteration: "Yeoseot Gaeui Dari" (Korean: 여섯 개의 다리)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
14| 5| "One More Game"
Transliteration: "Han Pan Deo" (Korean: 한 판 더)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
15| 6| "O X"| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)
16| 7| "Friend or Foe"
Transliteration: "Chinguwa Jeok" (Korean: 친구와 적)| Hwang Dong-hyuk| Hwang Dong-hyuk| December 26, 2024 (2024-12-26)

### Season 3

[edit]

Main article: Squid Game season 3

## Production

[edit]

### Development

[edit]

#### Season 1

[edit]

Series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk

Around 2008, Hwang Dong-hyuk tried unsuccessfully to get investment for a different movie script that he had written, and he, his mother, and his grandmother had to take out loans to stay afloat, but still struggled amid the debt crisis within the country.[9][37][f] He spent his free time in a manhwabang (South Korean comic cafe) reading Japanese survival manga such as Battle Royale, Liar Game and Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji.[39][40][8][41] Hwang compared the characters' situation in these works to his own current situation and considered the idea of being able to join such a survival game to win money to get him out of debt, leading him to write a film script on that concept throughout 2009.[41] Hwang stated, "I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we've all met in real life."[42] Hwang feared the storyline was "too difficult to understand and bizarre" at the time.[39] Hwang tried to sell his story to various South Korean production groups and actors, but had been told it was too grotesque and unrealistic.[43] Hwang put this script aside and over the next ten years successfully completed three other films. including the crime drama film Silenced (2011) and the historical drama film The Fortress (2017).[41]

In the 2010s, Netflix had seen a large growth in viewership outside of North America, and started investing in productions in other regions, including South Korea.[44] In 2018, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, stated that they were looking for more successes from overseas productions: "The exciting thing for me would be if the next Stranger Things came from outside America. Right now, historically, nothing of that scale has ever come from anywhere but Hollywood."[45] Netflix had opened up a division in Asia in 2018, and while they were still operating out of temporary leased office space in Seoul, Hwang brought his script to their attention. Kim Minyoung, one of Netflix's content officers for the Asian regions, recognized Hwang's talent from The Fortress and his other films, and upon seeing his script for Squid Game, knew they needed it for the service. Kim said "[W]e were looking for shows that were different from what's traditionally 'made it,' and Squid Game was exactly it".[46] In September 2019 Netflix formally announced that they would produce Hwang's work as an original series.[43][47] Netflix's Bela Bajaria, head of global television operations, said of their interest in Hwang's work that "we knew it was going to be big in Korea because it had a well-regarded director with a bold vision", and that "K-Dramas also travel well across Asia".[44] Regarding his return to the project, Hwang commented, "It's a sad story. But the reason why I returned to the project is because the world 10 years from then has transformed to a place where these unbelievable survival stories are so fitting, and I found that this is the time when people will call these stories intriguing and realistic."[39] Hwang further believed that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the economic disparity between classes in South Korea, and said that "All of these points made the story very realistic for people compared to a decade ago".[43]

With the Netflix order, the film concept was expanded out to a nine-episode series. Kim stated that there was "so much more than what was written in the 120-minute format. So we worked together to turn it into a series."[46] Hwang said he was able to expand the script so that it "could focus on the relationships between people [and] the stories that each of the people had".[48] Initially, Netflix had named the series Round Six, rather than Squid Game as Hwang had suggested; according to Netflix's vice president for content in Asia Kim Minyoung, while they knew that the name "squid game" would be familiar to Korean viewers from the children's game, it "wouldn't resonate because not many people would get it", and opted to use Round Six (stylized as Round 6) as it self-described the nature of the competition. It has been titled as such in Brazil (possibly while also avoiding any political connotation to do with Lula). As production continued, Hwang pushed on the service to use Squid Game instead; its cryptic name and unique visuals helped to draw in curious viewers, according to Kim.[47][49] At the time that Hwang wrote the series, his goal was to have the series reach the most-watched show in Netflix in the United States for at least one day.[9] Hwang had initially written the series as eight episodes, which was comparable to other Netflix shows, but found that the material for the last episode was longer than he planned, so it was split into two.[50]

#### Season 2

[edit]

In late October 2021, Hwang stated he was in discussions with Netflix regarding a second season.[9] He further stated in December 2021 that he was also discussing a third season with Netflix.[51] Hwang wanted to produce another film first, as well as secure a contract with Netflix to release additional films he may create alongside further Squid Game seasons, so as to avoid becoming known only for Squid Game.[9] Hwang confirmed that he had begun conceptualization work on a second season during a press event in November 2021, with plans to bring back Lee Jung-jae to reprise his role of Gi-hun.[52] Netflix stated in response to Hwang's comments that they had not yet officially greenlit a second season, but were in discussions with Hwang towards one.[53] During an earnings call in January 2022, Netflix's Sarandos said when asked about a second season "Absolutely...the Squid Game universe has just begun."[54][55][56] Hwang said in April 2022 that he presently was working on Killing Old People Club, an adaption of a work called "Pape Satan Aleppe: Chronicles of a Liquid Society" by Umberto Eco (미친 세상을 이해하는 척하는 방법; "The way to pretend to understand the crazy world"), and anticipated that the second season of Squid Game would be completed and broadcast by 2024.[57] Netflix confirmed that the second season was greenlit in June 2022.[58][59] It was released on December 26, 2024.[60]

#### Season 3

[edit]

On the day the second season was released, Hwang confirmed that the series would return for its third and final season in 2025.[61] The third season is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2025.

### Writing

[edit]

#### Season 1

[edit]

Hwang described the work as "a story about losers".[62] The names of the characters – Seong Gi-hun, Cho Sang-woo, and Il-nam – were all based on Hwang's childhood friends, as well as the character name Hwang Jun-ho, who was also a childhood friend in real life with an older brother named Hwang In-ho.[41] The two main characters Gi-hun and Sang-woo were based on Hwang's own personal experiences and represented "two sides" of himself; Gi-hun shared the same aspects of being raised by an economically disadvantaged single mother in the Ssangmun district of Seoul, while Sang-woo reflected on Hwang having attended Seoul National University with high expectations from his family and neighborhood.[41][62] Further, Gi-hun's background was inspired by the organizers of the SsangYong Motor labor strike of 2009 against mass layoffs.[63]

Shapes punched into dalgona, a Korean sugar candy treat, based on the shapes used in the second game of the show. Within the show, players had to extract the inner shapes intact.

Hwang based the narrative on Korean games of his childhood to show the irony of a childhood game where competition was not important becoming an extreme competition with people's lives at stake.[40] Additionally, as his initial script was intended for film, he opted to use children's games with simple rules that were easy to explain in contrast to other survival-type films using games with complex rules.[48] The central game he selected, the squid game, was a popular Korean children's game from the 1970s and 1980s.[47][64] Hwang recalled the squid game as "the most physically aggressive childhood game I played in neighborhood alleys as a kid, which is why I also loved it the most", and because of this "it's the most symbolic game that reflects today's competitive society, so I picked it out as the show's title".[65] The colors of the ddakji in the initial game, which are blue and red, were inspired from the Japanese urban legend Red Paper, Blue Paper.[66][g] The game Red Light, Green Light was selected because of its potential to make a lot of losers in one go. Regarding the selection, Hwang said, "The game was selected because the scene filled with so many people randomly moving and stopping could be viewed as a ridiculous but a sad group dance."[40] Hwang joked that the dalgona candy game they chose may influence sales of dalgona, similar to how sales of Korean gats (traditional hats) bloomed after the broadcast of Netflix's series Kingdom.[67] Licking the candy to free the shape was something that Hwang said that he had done as a child and brought it into the script.[65] Hwang had considered other Korean children's games such as Gonggi, Dong, Dong, Dongdaemun, and Why did you come to my house? (우리 집에 왜 왔니?, a Korean variant of the Hana Ichi Monme).[40]

Hwang wrote all of the series himself, taking nearly six months to write the first two episodes alone, after which he turned to friends to get input on moving forward.[42] Hwang also addressed the challenges of preparing for the show which was physically and mentally exhausting, saying that he had forgone dental health while making Season 1 and had to have six teeth pulled by his dentist after production was complete.[39][50] As such, Hwang was initially unsure about a sequel after completing these episodes,[42] though he wrote the ending to keep a potential hook for a sequel in mind.[9] Hwang had considered an alternate ending where Gi-hun would have boarded the plane after concluding his call with the game organizers to see his daughter, but Hwang said of that ending, "Is that the right way for us to really propose the question or the message that we wanted to convey through the series?"[68]

#### Season 2

[edit]

Due to the stress of writing and producing the first series of nine episodes himself, Hwang initially had no immediate plans to write a second season to Squid Game. He did not have well-developed plans for a follow-up story and said that if he were to write one, he would likely need a staff of writers and directors to help him.[42] With the immense popularity of the show, Hwang later opined about the possibility of a second season, telling CNN, "There's nothing confirmed at the moment, but so many people are enthusiastic that I'm really contemplating it."[62] Hwang said in an interview with The Times that a second season may focus more on the story of the Front Man as well as incorporating more about the police. Hwang said, "I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea. I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late in acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. This was an issue that I wanted to raise."[69] He added he also wanted to explore the relationship between the cryptic Front Man and his policeman brother Hwang Jun-ho, as well as the background of the salesman character (portrayed by Gong Yoo).[70]

#### Season 3

[edit]

Hwang originally envisioned the second and third seasons as one, but split them up because he had too many episodes for one season.[71] According to Hwang, after the end of the second season, Gi-hun would be a changed man "at a very critical crossroads".[72] The season will also reveal how Hwang In-ho became the Front Man.[73] Cheol-su, Young-hee's giant robot doll boyfriend, was introduced in the post-credits scene of the second season and will appear in season three alongside a new game.[74]

### Casting

[edit]

#### Season 1

[edit]

Director Hwang requested that actors Gong Yoo (left) and Lee Byung-hun (right), with whom he had previously worked, appear as the Recruiter and the Front Man, respectively, in Squid Game.

Hwang said he chose to cast Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun as to "destroy his charismatic image portrayed in his previous roles".[75] HoYeon Jung was requested by her new management company to send a video to audition for the series while she was finishing a shoot in Mexico and preparing for New York Fashion Week. Although this was her first audition as an actor and her expectations were low, Hwang said, "The moment I saw her audition tape from New York, I immediately thought to myself, 'this is the girl we want.' My first impression of her was that she is wild and free like an untamed horse".[76][77][78] On casting Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul, Hwang said, "It was hard to find good foreign actors in Korea." He chose Anupam Tripathi because of his emotional acting capabilities and fluency in Korean.[79] Both Gong Yoo and Lee Byung Hun had worked with Hwang during his previous films, Silenced and The Fortress respectively, and Hwang had asked both to appear in small roles within Squid Game.[76][unreliable source?] The VIPs were selected from non-Korean actors living in Asia; in the case of Geoffrey Giuliano, who played the VIP that interacted with Jun-ho, his prior role from Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula led to his casting for Squid Game.[80]

Casting for the series was confirmed on June 17, 2020.[81]

#### Season 2

[edit]

In April 2022, Hwang confirmed that the characters of Gi-hun and the Front Man will return for the second season.[82][58] Hwang said that he would like to bring back some of the dead characters, such as Ji-yeong, and expressed regret that he had killed off several beloved characters since he did not have any plans for a second season at that time.[83]

During Netflix's Tudum: A Global Fan Event in June 2023, Lee Jung-jae was confirmed to reprise his role alongside Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo and Wi Ha-joon. On June 29, Netflix released more info on the new season's cast, which includes Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Im Si-wan, Yang Dong-geun, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Won Ji-an, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-shim, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.[84][23][22] Controversy arose when it was revealed that T.O.P, a former member of the band BigBang with a drug-related conviction during military service in 2016, was cast in the second season.[85]

### Costume, set design, and filming

[edit]

#### Season 1

[edit]

External videos

Squid Game – Behind the Scenes, from Netflix

Production and filming of the series ran from June to October 2020, including a mandatory month-long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[86] City scenes were filmed in Daejeon,[87] while the island set pieces were filmed on Seongapdo located in Ongjin.[88]

The shapes of Ojingo (Squid) played heavily in the graphic design of the show.

As Netflix was targeting the work for a global audience, the visuals were emphasized and some of the rules of the children's games were simplified to avoid potential issues with the language barrier.[43] The colorful sets and costumes were designed to look like a fantasy world. The players and soldiers each wear a distinctive color, to reduce the sense of individuality and emphasize the difference between the two groups.[40] The green tracksuits worn by the players were inspired by 1970s athletic wear, known as trainingbok (트레이닝복).[89] The maze-like corridors and stairs drew inspiration from the 4-dimensional stair drawings of M. C. Escher including Relativity. Production designer Chae Kyoung-sun said these seemingly infinite stairways represented "a form of bondage for the contestants".[90] The complex network of tunnels between the arena, the dorm, and the administrative office was inspired by ant colonies.[40]

Chae was also inspired by the Saemaul Undong political initiative of the 1970s aimed to modernize rural South Korean villages.[91] The mint green and pink color theme throughout the show were a common theme from South Korean schools in the 1970s and 1980s. Green-suited characters develop associations of fear with pink through its use in guard outfits and the stairway room.[92][90]

The players' dormitory was envisioned with the concept of "people who are abandoned on the road" according to Chae; this was also used in the tug-of-war game.[92] The room was designed using white tiles and the curved opening like a vehicular tunnel. The bed and stairs initially were laid out to look like warehouse shelves, but as the episodes progressed and these furnishing used as makeshift defenses, they took the appearance of broken ladders and stairs, implying the way these players were trapped with no way out, according to Chae.[92] The dinner scene that took place in the eighth episode was inspired by the art installation The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago.[90] Walls of many of the areas where the games took place were painted in skies inspired by The Empire of Light series by René Magritte.[90]

The crew spent the most time crafting the set for the Marbles game, creating a mix of realism and fakeness as to mirror the life and death nature of the games themselves.[93] Chae stated that this set was designed as a combination of small theatrical stages, each stage representing parts of Player 001's memories.[92] The VIP room was one of the last pieces to be designed, and Chae said that they decided on an animal-based theme for both the costumes and room for this; "The VIPs are the kind of people who take other people's lives for entertainment and treat them like game pieces on a chessboard, so I wanted to create a powerful and instinctive look for the room."[92]

Most sets were a combination of practical sets and chroma key backgrounds. For example, in the Glass Stepping Stones scenes, the set, designed as if in a circus tent for the players performing for the VIPs, was only 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) off the ground, using chroma key screens to simulate the height in post-production. In filming, this was far enough from the ground to make the actors nervous, which contributed to the scene.[93][92] The tug-of-war set was actually set more than 10 metres (33 ft) off the ground, which further created anxiety for some of the actors with fears of heights.[92]

The robot doll in the first episode, "Red Light, Green Light", was inspired by Younghee, a character who appeared on the covers of South Korean textbooks Chul-soo and Young-hee in the 1970s and 1980s,[90] and her hairstyle was inspired by Hwang's daughter's.[89][92] The doll singsongs, in Korean, "Mugunghwa flower has blossomed", referring to the hibiscus syriacus, the national flower of South Korea.[65] The use of this familiar character was meant to juxtapose memories of childhood and unsettling fear in the players, according to Chae.[92] Similarly, the set for the dalgona game, using giant pieces of playground equipment, were to evoke players' memories of their childhood, and was a common place where South Korean children would have played dalgona with friends.[92] The dalgona used in "The Man with the Umbrella" were made by a street vendor from Daehangno.[94]

Throughout the series, the trio of circle, triangle, and square shapes appear frequently on the cards given to recruit players, on the guards' masks, and in the show's title card in most language adaptations. These are shapes associated with the playing field for the children's game of Squid (ojingeo). They are also used to represent the hierarchy of the guards within the complex. Following from the comparison with an ant colony, the guards with circles are considered the workers, triangles as the soldiers, and squares as the managers (see also: Korean honorifics).[95][better source needed]

#### Season 2

[edit]

Principal photography for the second season was scheduled to start in July 2023 and was expected to last for "at least 10 months".[96] On July 10, staff members of the production faced a controversy involving allegations of mistreatment towards citizens during filming at Incheon Airport. The production company issued an official apology on the matter.[97] Filming was reportedly underway in August 2023.[98] Filming took place simultaneously with the third season and wrapped in June 2024.[99]

### Music

[edit]

See also: Squid Game (soundtrack)

Jung Jae-il composed the score for the series.

Jung Jae-il, who previously composed the soundtrack for Parasite, composed and directed Squid Game's score.[100] To prevent it from becoming boring, he asked the help of composers Park Min-ju, and Kim Sung-soo, a music director for musicals who uses the stage name "23" as a composer.[101]

Two classical music pieces are also used throughout the show as part of the players' routine: the third movement of Joseph Haydn's "Trumpet Concerto" is used to wake the players, and Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" is used to indicate the start of a new game.[100] Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" is also heard in the VIP lounge.[100] A cover of "Fly Me to the Moon",[h] arranged by Jung and sung by South Korean artist Joo Won Shin, was used over the "Red Light, Green Light" game of the first episode; according to Joo, Hwang wanted a contrast between the brutal killing of the players and the "romantic and beautiful lyrics and melody" of the song, such that the scene "embodies the increasingly polarized capitalist society that we live in today in a very compressed and cynical way".[102]

For the song "Way Back Then" that accompanies children playing Squid Game, Jung wanted to use instruments that he practiced in elementary school, such as recorders and castanets.[101] The rhythm of the song is based on a 3-3-7 clapping rhythm that is commonly used in South Korea to cheer someone on.[101] The recorder, played by Jung himself, had a slight "beep", which was unintentional.[103] The song "Round VI" was played by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra.[104] The soundtrack was released on September 17, 2021.[105]

Jung returned to score the second season, with the soundtrack album being released on December 27, 2024, through Netflix Music.[106] Jung confirmed his involvement in 2023, telling the BBC the second season would retain some elements from the score to the first season but have a "more bizarre and unique sound".[107] The second season also features the aria "Nessun dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's Turandot and "Time to Say Goodbye" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.[108][better source needed]

## Release

[edit]

The first season of Squid Game was released on September 17, 2021, in more than 190 countries.[109]

The second season was released on December 26, 2024.[36] A third and final season of Squid Game was announced alongside the premiere of Season 2, and is expected to be released in 2025.[110]

The third and final season is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2025.[111]

## Marketing

[edit]

A promotional event for Squid Game in Shibuya, Tokyo

In the Philippines, a replica of the doll used in the first episode of the series was exhibited on Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City in September 2021.[112]

A Squid Game doll was installed in Olympic Park, Seoul on October 25, 2021.[113] A replica of Squid Game's set was exhibited at the Itaewon station in Seoul since September 5, 2021.[114][unreliable source?][115] However, the exhibit was prematurely closed due to COVID-19 concerns.[116]

A Squid Game pop-up store opened in Paris on October 2 and 3, 2021,[117] and a person could win a free one-month Netflix subscription if they managed to get the right shape from the dalgona in one minute and 30 seconds.[118][119]

In the Netherlands, Netflix hosted its own Squid Game where people were able to play the game Red Light, Green Light in both Maastricht and Rotterdam. A replica of the doll was exhibited and staff were dressed as guards. Winners were awarded with Squid Game memorabilia. The event attracted hundreds of people.[120][121][122] Similar events featuring replicas of the doll occurred across the world, including Sydney[123] and the United Kingdom.[124]

In October 2021, the Hollywood Reporter interviewed Netflix Asia's executive Kim Minyoung, who said that the company was looking into a possible video game adaptation of the series.[49]

Netflix has licensed Squid Game for merchandising. A Young-hee vinyl figure was released in January 2022.[125] Funko released a set of Squid Game themed Funko Pop! figurines in May 2022.[126]

During Netflix Geeked Week in September 2024, a poster and a teaser for season 2 were released.[127][128] On December 19, 2024, a rave party related to the season was held in London.[129] Famous streamer Ibai Llanos organized his own version of Squid Game with KFC.[130] Filipino journalist MJ Marfori attended the three-day event for the season and also interviewed Lee Jung-jae.[131]

Call of Duty teamed up with Squid Game to create a special bundle, with Tom Choi reprising his role as the masked voice of the Front Man.[132] A new operator comes in the form of a frontman from the show, with operators receiving skins for players and the guards. New game modes were added to Call of Duty that comes from the show.

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Critical response of Squid GameSeason| Rotten Tomatoes| Metacritic

|
|

1| 95% (78 reviews)[133]| 69% (13 reviews)[134]
2| 83% (92 reviews)[135]| 62% (36 reviews)[136]

The first season received critical acclaim.[137] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 95% based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Squid Game's unflinching brutality is not for the faint of heart, but sharp social commentary and a surprisingly tender core will keep viewers glued to the screen – even if it's while watching between their fingers."[133] On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[134]

The second season received positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 92 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "While Squid Game's return can't help but lose the element of surprise, some absolutely diabolical challenges and a knotty moral outlook keep this sophomore season thrilling."[135] On Metacritic, the second season has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[136]

### Viewership

[edit]

The first season of the series became the first Korean drama to top Netflix's top ten weekly most-watched TV show charts globally. It reached number one in 94 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.[138] Netflix estimated that Squid Game had drawn over 111 million member households worldwide after 17 days of availability,[139][i] and over 142 million member households after 28 days, and becoming the service's most-watched series at its launch.[140] After Netflix revamped its published metrics of viewership in November 2021 based on total hours watched of the series, Squid Game remained the most-watched show on the service, with over 1.65 billion hours within its first 28 days compared to Bridgerton's 625 million hours.[141]

### Accolades

[edit]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Squid Game

The first season's four SAG Award nominations also made history in it becoming the first non-English series and first Korean series to be nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Individually, Lee Jung-jae became the first male actor from Asia and South Korea to receive an individual SAG Award nomination and HoYeon Jung became the second actress of Asian as well as Korean descent to do the same.[142] With both actors winning, the show made history in becoming the first non-English language television series to win at the SAG Awards. The show also received 14 nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Best Drama, making it the first non-English show to be nominated in this category.[143]

### Public response and impact

[edit]

People cosplaying as guards from the series

Squid Game is considered one of the latest examples of the Korean wave, the growing trend of popular South Korean media to gain international attention since the early 2010s, similar to popular Korean pop acts like BTS and Korean dramas and films like Parasite. Such works had drawn more attention due to streaming services like Netflix and YouTube making South Korean content, traditionally controlled by the country's national broadcasters, available across the globe. Further, according to Choe Sang-Hun of The New York Times, South Korean creators have a way of taking ideas from foreign works and applying their own cultural spin on it that draws in more audiences.[144]

## Themes and analysis

[edit]

See also: Squid Game season 1 § Themes and analysis

Hwang wrote Squid Game based on his own personal experiences and observations of capitalism and economic class struggles within South Korea.[42] Hwang also considered that his script was targeted towards global issues regarding capitalism, stating, "I wanted to create something that would resonate not just for Korean people but globally. This was my dream." He added, "I do believe that the overall global economic order is unequal and that around 90% of the people believe that it's unfair. During the pandemic, poorer countries can't get their people vaccinated. They're contracting viruses on the streets and even dying. So I did try to convey a message about modern capitalism. As I said, it's not profound."[9]

## Related works

[edit]

Hwang had also worked with Netflix to create a mockumentary inspired by Squid Game's success, titled The Best Show on the Planet. Hwang said the comedy was based on his own personal experience of being pushed into the spotlight due to the rapid and ongoing success of Squid Game.[145]

Netflix announced a reality competition series, Squid Game: The Challenge, in June 2022 along with an open casting call. The ten-episode series will see 456 players competing for a US$4.56 million cash prize, with challenges based on those in the show.[146] Production is a joint work of Studio Lambert and The Garden. The filming started in early 2023 at Cardington Studios in Bedfordshire.[147] The first five episodes of the show were released internationally on November 22, 2023, while four more episodes were released on November 29,[148] with its finale released on December 6; a second season was announced.[149]

Netflix released Squid Game: Unleashed in December 2024, a video game that lets players compete as characters playing the children's games featured in the show. The game gave players rewards for watching each episode.[150]

Deadline Hollywood reported in October 2024 that an English-language adaptation of Squid Game for Netflix, produced by David Fincher, was in development.[151]

## See also

[edit]

* Korean Wave
* Battle royal

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ At the time of broadcast, ₩45.6 billion was approximately US$38 million or €33 million.
2. ^ In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hwang revealed the original number of participants for the game in the original script was around 1000, but he later reduced the numbers due to budget issues. The amount of total prize money for the show was set similar to the largest amount of prize money ever given for lotteries in South Korea. Gi-hun was allocated the last number, 456, to reflect his social status in the show.[10]
3. ^ Hwang Dong-Hyuk said the number was actually a pun using the fact that "two-eighteen" in Korean is i-sibpal (이십팔), similar to the Korean swear word ssibal (씨발, "fucker").[10]
4. ^ lit. The day hibiscus bloomed. The English title references the game Red Light, Green Light. The Korean title references the Korean version of the game.
5. ^ The title is a reference to the 1924 Korean novel with the same name that tells the story of a rickshaw man initially being happy earning a lot of money from having a lot of customers on a rainy day, and thrilled to buy his wife some soup, only to find his wife dead in her house.[35]
6. ^ Following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and as part of the financial crisis of 2007–2008, banks in South Korea had tried to help provide external investments to stabilize foreign currency rates. As the crisis worsened into 2009, these stabilization attempts had failed, causing a reversing of money from the country, and forcing banks to drastically increase interest rates and seek high-risk short-term loans made to citizens to try to recover.[38]
7. ^ Red Paper, Blue Paper [ko], also known by its Japanese name Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami, is an urban legend that started from Japan that was later spread to South Korea. The legend is about a ghost that haunts the toilets and is known to ask the question, "Do you want blue toilet paper or red toilet paper?" Either option will result in the death of the person. Unlike the Korean versions, the ghost of the Japanese story has a name called "Aka Manto".
8. ^ Hwang revealed that the music figures used for the project were the ones in the gas station where he wrote the script, and that they were playing "Fly Me to the Moon", and this is why he used the music for the show.[10]
9. ^ One "viewer" is defined by Netflix as a subscriber having viewed any portion of a work longer than two minutes.[139]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Lehnen, Christine (October 6, 2021). "'Squid Game': more than a traditional survival thriller". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
2. ^ Tan, Monica (September 30, 2021). "Squid Game: the smash-hit South Korean horror is a perfect fit for our dystopian mood". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
3. ^ a b c d 무궁화 꽃이 피던 날 [Red Light, Green Light]. Squid Game. Season 1. Episode 1 (in Korean). September 17, 2021. Netflix.
4. ^ a b 빵과 복권 [Bread and Lottery]. Squid Game. Season 2. Episode 1 (in Korean). December 26, 2024. Netflix.
5. ^ "Catching up with Emmy-nominated "Squid Game" Editor Nam Na-young". Filmmaker U. August 19, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
6. ^ Lee, Julie (August 10, 2021). "Squid Game invites you to deadly childhood games on September 17". Netflix Media Center. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
7. ^ Ha, Soo-jung (January 6, 2024). 주연 이정재 14억→조연 탑·이서환 3억..'오겜2' 출연료 진실 [Oh!쎈 이슈] [Lead actor Lee Jung-jae 1.4 billion → Supporting actors Top and Lee Seo-hwan 300 million.. The truth about the appearance fee for 'Ogame 2' [Oh! Strong Issue]]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2024 - via Naver.
8. ^ a b Frater, Patrick (September 24, 2021). "'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk on Netflix's Hit Korean Series and Prospects for a Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
9. ^ a b c d e f g Jefferies, Stuart (October 26, 2021). "Squid Game's creator: 'I'm not that rich. It's not like Netflix paid me a bonus'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
10. ^ a b c Vanity Fair (December 17, 2021). Squid Game Director & Cast Break Down The Red Light/Green Light Scene|Vanity Fair. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
11. ^ "Squid Game – (Korean Drama, 2020, 오징어게임)". HanCinema. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
12. ^ "Korean series 'Squid Game' gives deadly twist to children's games". ABS-CBN News. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Squid Game: Season 2 | Meet the Cast | Netflix. Netflix. December 4, 2024. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024 - via YouTube.
14. ^ a b Moon Ji-yeon (March 11, 2020). [공식] 이정재X박해수, 넷플릭스 '오징어게임' 주연 캐스팅 [[Official] Lee Jung-jae X Park Hae-soo] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 - via Naver.
15. ^ Jang Ah-reum (June 2, 2020). [단독] 위하준, 넷플릭스 오리지널 '오징어 게임' 합류...이정재와 호흡 [[Exclusive] Ha-Jun Wi joins Netflix's original 'Squid Game'...Breathing with Lee Jung-jae] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 - via Naver.
16. ^ Kim Hyun-rok (June 2, 2020). [단독]톱모델 정호연, '오징어게임' 여주인공...본격 연기 데뷔 [[Exclusive] Top model Jeong Ho-yeon, the female lead in 'Squid Game'...full-fledged acting debut] (in Korean). SpoTV News. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 - via Naver.
17. ^ Park, Hanna (October 14, 2021). "Jung Ho-yeon of 'Squid Game' on dark twists in series, light mood on set". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
18. ^ a b Kim Yu-jin (August 26, 2021). '오징어 게임' 오영수·위하준→허성태·김주령, 목숨 건 '일촉즉발' 서바이벌 참가 ['Squid Game' Oh Young-soo, Wi Ha-joon → Heo Seong-tae, Kim Joo-ryung participate in the life-threatening 'one-touch' survival] (in Korean). X-sports News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 - via Naver.
19. ^ Jang, Ah-reum (June 2, 2020). [단독] 허성태, 넷플릭스 '오징어 게임' 합류...대세 신스틸러 행보ing [[Exclusive] Seongtae Heo joins Netflix's 'Squid Game'...Trending scene stealer] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 - via Naver.
20. ^ Jeong Hee-yeon (June 17, 2020). '오징어 게임' 허성태-위하준-김주령-정호연 캐스팅 확정 [공식] ['Squid Game' Heo Seong-tae, Wi Ha-jun, Kim Joo-ryung, Jeong Ho-yeon casting confirmed [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 - via Naver.
21. ^ "Squid Game's Cast Features a Mix of Korean Film Powerhouses and Up and Comers". Esquire. September 23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
22. ^ a b c d e "Netflix reveals Squid Game season 2 new and returning cast". Polygon. November 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Porter, Rick (June 29, 2023). "'Squid Game' Adds Eight Actors, Completes Season 2 Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
24. ^ Gearan, Hannah (January 2, 2025). "Squid Game Season 2: Guard 011's Motives & Why She's Defying Her Boss Explained By Star". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 2, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
25. ^ "A YouTuber, a rapper, a shaman and more: Meet the 'Squid Game' season 2 characters". Korea JoongAng Daily. December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
26. ^ Sharma, Dhruv (December 26, 2024). "Every Player in Squid Game Season 2 Explained". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
27. ^ Rose, Hemaline (June 26, 2023). "'Squid Game 2': Female lead announced". Asiana Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
28. ^ Chin, Carmen (November 8, 2023). "'Squid Game' season two is "so far so good", says actress Kim Si-eun". NME. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
29. ^ [단독] 김시은, '오징어 게임2' 여주인공 캐스팅...제2의 정호연 될까 [[Exclusive] Kim Si-eun cast as the female lead in 'Squid Game 2'... Will she be the next Jung Ho-yeon?]. OSEN (in Korean). June 26, 2023. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
30. ^ Hwang So-young (December 20, 2023). [단독] '열일' 전석호 '범죄도시3' 이어 '오징어게임2' 출연 [[Exclusive] Jeon Seok-ho of 'Hard Day' appears in 'Squid Game 2' following 'Crime City 3'] (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
31. ^ KTimes (March 14, 2024). "Oh Dal-soo confirmed to join cast of 'Squid Game' season 2". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
32. ^ Lee, Seunghoon (March 12, 2024). [단독]오달수 품는다..'오징어 게임2' 출연 확정 [종합]. Naver TV Entertainment (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
33. ^ Maas, Jennifer (January 30, 2025). "'Squid Game' Final Season Sets Release Date, Netflix Reveals First Look". Variety. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
34. ^ Kim Ji-won (August 11, 2021). 전여빈 나나 류경수 '글리치' 촬영 중단 "보조출연자 코로나 확진"[공식] [[Official] Lee Jung-jae X Park Hae-soo's 'Squid Game' to be released on Netflix on September 17]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
35. ^ Legaspi, Althea (October 28, 2021). "Here's What You Missed From 'Squid Game's English Subtitles". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
36. ^ a b Porter, Rick (July 31, 2024). "'Squid Game' to End With Season 3, Post-Christmas Return Set at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
37. ^ Hersko, Tyler (October 10, 2021). "'Squid Game' Director on the Show's Massive Global Success, Its Themes, and a Potential Sequel". Indie Wire. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
38. ^ Kim, Kyungsoo (October 19–20, 2009). "Global Financial Crisis and the Korean Economy" (PDF). In Glick, Reuven Glick; Spiegel, Mark M. (eds.). Asia Economic Policy Conference. pp. 277–284\. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.277-284&rft.date=2009-10-19/2009-10-20&rft.aulast=Kim&rft.aufirst=Kyungsoo&rft_id=https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/Panel_Kim.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Squid+Game" class="Z3988">
39. ^ a b c d "오징어게임 시즌2? 힘들어서 당분간은..." 황동혁 감독 인터뷰. The Chosun Ilbo. September 28, 2021. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
40. ^ a b c d e f "황동혁 감독이 말하는 <오징어 게임>의 관람 포인트" (in Korean). Cine 21. September 16, 2021. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
41. ^ a b c d e Brzeski, Patrick (October 13, 2021). "'Squid Game' Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Talks Season 2, Show's Deeper Meaning". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
42. ^ a b c d e Frater, Patrick (September 24, 2021). "'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk on Netflix's Hit Korean Series and Prospects for a Sequel". Variety. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
43. ^ a b c d Yoon, Dasl; Martin, Timothy W. (October 2, 2021). "Netflix's 'Squid Game' Is the Dystopian Hit No One Wanted—Until Everyone Did". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
44. ^ a b Paris, Martine (October 2, 2021). "Everything to know about 'Squid Game', the surprise Netflix hit series". Fortune. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
45. ^ Adalain, Josef (September 30, 2021). "Planet Squid Game". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
46. ^ a b Lao, Yvonne (October 21, 2021). "Netflix exec behind 'Squid Game' wants to invest more in the 'K-Wave'—and hints at a possible season 2". Fortune. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
47. ^ a b c "Director Hwang Dong-hyuk to produce new Korean original series, Round Six". Netflix. September 2, 2019. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
48. ^ a b Hersko, Tyler (October 10, 2021). "'Squid Game' Director on the Show's Massive Global Success, Its Themes, and a Potential Sequel". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
49. ^ a b Brzeski, Patrick (October 11, 2021). "'Squid Game': Netflix's Top Exec in Asia Explains the Show's Huge Global Appeal". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
50. ^ a b Kim, Regina (November 30, 2021). "Squid Game Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Answers All Our Lingering Questions On "Gganbu," Ali, and how he lost six teeth during production". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
51. ^ ""Squid Game" creator says he's in talks with Netflix for 3rd season". The Korea Times. December 28, 2021. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
52. ^ Egan, Toussaint (November 9, 2021). "Squid Game creator confirms season 2, return of main character Seong Gi-hun". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
53. ^ Whitten, Sarah (November 9, 2021). "'Squid Game' season 2 is 'in discussions, but not confirmed yet,' Netflix says". CNBC. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
54. ^ Spangler, Todd (January 20, 2022). "'Squid Game' Will Get a Second Season, Netflix Confirms". Variety. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
55. ^ Bailey, Kat (January 21, 2022). "Netflix Confirms Squid Game Season 2: 'The Squid Game Universe Has Just Begun'". IGN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
56. ^ "Netflix confirms 'Squid Game' season 2, calls it the start of new "universe"". NME. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
57. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (April 5, 2022). "'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Prepares 'Killing Old People Club' as Next Feature". Variety. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
58. ^ a b Roth, Emma (June 12, 2022). "Squid Game season two is finally, officially announced for Netflix". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
59. ^ Anderson, Nellie (June 12, 2022). "'Squid Game' Season 2 Greenlighted By Netflix; Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Teases Returning & New Characters". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
60. ^ Palmer, Haasch (May 15, 2024). "'Squid Game' season 2 is coming in December, according to its star Lee Jung-jae". Business Insider. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
61. ^ "Squid Game Season 3 to Premiere in 2025". netflix.com. December 29, 2024. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024.
62. ^ a b c Sit, Jane; Kang, Liz (October 7, 2021). "'Squid Game' director Hwang Dong-hyuk: 'This is a story about losers'". CNN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
63. ^ Seo Jeong-min (September 29, 2021). ""'오징어 게임' 속 달고나 뜬다고 농담했는데 진짜 떠서 얼떨떨"" ["I joked that dalgona in 'Squid Game' was floating, but I was really shocked."]. The Hankyoreh Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
64. ^ Lee Jeong-yeon (August 6, 2021). '고요의 바다' '오징어게임'...넷플릭스 대작들 개봉박두' ['Squid Game'... Netflix's blockbuster releases]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
65. ^ a b c Park, Hanna (October 7, 2021). "Inside the real kids' games in 'Squid Game'". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
66. ^ 오징어게임 감독이 말하는 공유 정체... "딱지치기는 말이죠". MoneyS. September 29, 2021. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
67. ^ Lee, Gyu-lee (September 30, 2021). "As big as BTS: Squid Game director on why Netflix thriller's global success is not a surprise – 'the most Korean is the most universal'". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
68. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (November 9, 2021). "Squid Game creator reveals alternate ending, hopes to 'go beyond' expectations in season 2". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
69. ^ Cuttle, Jade (October 4, 2021). "Squid Game's Jung Ho-yeon: 'The most powerful lesson I learnt was to have faith in humanity'". The Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
70. ^ "Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk shares plans for second season". The Straits Times (Singapore). October 10, 2021. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
71. ^ "Squid Game creator says he had to split seasons 2 and 3 because it was 'too many episodes'". Entertainment Weekly. December 19, 2024. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
72. ^ Maas, Jennifer; Minton, Matt (December 26, 2024). "'Squid Game' Creator Breaks Down 'Heavy' Season 2 Finale Death, Mid-Credits Scene Clues and When Season 3 Is Coming". Variety. Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
73. ^ Stone, Sam (December 27, 2024). "'That Hasn't Been Answered Yet': Squid Game Creator Confirms Major Season 3 Reveal". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
74. ^ "Squid Game creator explains season 2 finale credits scene". Entertainment Weekly. December 26, 2024. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
75. ^ '오징어 게임' 황동혁 감독 "이정재 이미지 망가뜨리고 싶어 캐스팅". Hankook Ilbo. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
76. ^ a b Cho, EK (September 29, 2021). "'Squid Game' Director Hwang Dong Hyuk Talks About Gi Hun's Red Hair, Possible Season 2 and Star-studded Cameos". Zapzee – Premier Korean Entertainment Magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
77. ^ Jo Ji-young (October 1, 2021). [인터뷰①] 정호연 "뉴욕서 진심 담아 찍은 오디션 영상→캐스팅 후 부담감 몰려와"('오징어게임') [[Interview ①] Jeong Ho-yeon "Audition video taken in New York with sincerity → The pressure comes after casting" ('Squid Game')] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021 - via Naver.
78. ^ Tae Yu-na (October 1, 2021). '오징어게임' 정호연 "첫 연기 도전, 심리적 부담 컸죠" [인터뷰②] ['Squid Game' Jeong Ho-yeon "My first acting challenge was a great psychological burden" [Interview ②]] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021 - via Naver.
79. ^ Chen, Heather (October 6, 2021). "A Shout-Out to Ali, a Character Too Pure for the Dark Humanity in 'Squid Game'". Vice. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
80. ^ Heritage, Stuart (October 19, 2021). "'They didn't just pick us up off the street!' Meet the globally derided Squid Game VIPs". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
81. ^ Jeong Hee-yeon (June 17, 2020). '오징어 게임' 허성태-위하준-김주령-정호연 캐스팅 확정 [공식] ['Squid Game' Casting Confirmed [Official]]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
82. ^ Choe, Brandon (April 9, 2022). "'Squid Game' Creator Reveals Return Of Two Key Characters For Season 2 — Contenders TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
83. ^ Shin, Hyonhee; Kim, Dae-Woung (September 16, 2022). "'Squid Game' director in dilemma over reviving dead characters for 2nd season". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
84. ^ "Netflix responds to Squid Game season 2 casting complaints". Digital Spy. June 21, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
85. ^ 강경윤 (July 12, 2023). '오징어게임2' 탑 캐스팅 논란→스태프 갑질 목격담에 '사과'. Seoul Broadcasting System (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
86. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (October 8, 2021). "'Squid Game' Star Anupam Tripathi on Netflix's Global Phenomenon: 'This Was Just The Starting Point'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
87. ^ Julians, Joe (October 4, 2021). "Where was Squid Game filmed?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
88. ^ 오징어게임 촬영지 옹진군 '선갑도'...관광은 못 간다고?. Money Today. October 9, 2021. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
89. ^ a b Lee Ho-jae (October 2, 2021). "오징어게임, 동화적 공간서 비극 연출...충격 극대화" ["The squid game, directing a tragedy in a fairy tale space..."Maximize Impact"] (in Korean). The Dong-A Ilbo. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021 - via Naver.
90. ^ a b c d e McGrath, Katherine (November 2, 2021). "Squid Game's Production Designer Shares the Story Behind All of Those Art References". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
91. ^ Kwun, Aileen (November 11, 2021). "When a Track Suit Embodies a Nation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
92. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hewitt, Zoe (October 15, 2021). "'Squid Game': How the Show's Larger-Than-Life Set Design Came Together". Variety. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
93. ^ a b Villei, Matt (October 9, 2021). "Watch: Go Behind-the-Scenes on Every Game in 'Squid Game'". Collider. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
94. ^ Moon Da-young (September 30, 2021). '오징어 게임' 우산 달고나 도전하고 싶다면 대학로에 [If you want to challenge the 'Squid Game' with an umbrella, go to Daehangno.]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
95. ^ Rowley, Jim (October 4, 2021). "What The Symbols On The Workers' Mask Really Mean In Squid Game". Looper. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
96. ^ "Everything We Know About Netflix's 'Squid Game 2' So Far — Cast Release Date". L'Officiel USA. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
97. ^ 김민지 (July 11, 2023). '오징어 게임2', 촬영 중 스태프 갑질 논란 사과 "불편 끼쳐 사과" [공식]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
98. ^ "イ・ジョンジェ、『イカゲーム2』撮影2日休んで来日 初監督映画「作ってよかった」" [Lee Jung-jae took two days off from filming "Squid Game 2" to come to Japan. "I'm glad I made it", he said of his first film as a director]. ORICON NEWS. September 4, 2023. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
99. ^ Delgado, Sara (June 14, 2024). "Squid Game Seasons 2 & 3 Were Reportedly Filmed Back to Back". Vogue. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
100. ^ a b c Beek, Michael (October 18, 2021). "Squid Game soundtrack: what pieces of classical music are used in Squid Game and who composed the score?". BBC Music Magazine. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
101. ^ a b c '기생충' 이어 '오징어게임'까지...정재일 음악감독 "어안이 벙벙". Dong-A. October 10, 2021. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
102. ^ Messina, Victoria (October 15, 2021). "Meet Joo Won Shin, the Korean Singer Behind Squid Game's Haunting "Fly Me to the Moon" Cover". Popsugar. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
103. ^ 소고·리코더로 '오징어 게임' 결투음악 만든 정재일"337박수가 기초". JoongAng. September 30, 2021. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
104. ^ 오징어게임 OST. Melon. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
105. ^ 오징어게임 OST [Squid Game OST]. Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021 - via Melon.
106. ^ "Squid Game 2 (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) – Album by Jung Jae Il". Apple Music. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
107. ^ Ha, Serin (October 14, 2023). "Squid Game and Parasite composer reveals secret to award-winning music". BBC World. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
108. ^ Vinney, Cynthia (December 26, 2024). "Small Details You Missed In Squid Game Season 2". Looper. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
109. ^ Lee, Seung-mi (August 11, 2021). [공식]이정재X박해수 넷플릭스 오리지널 '오징어 게임', 9월 17일 공개 확정 [[Official]Lee Jung-jae X Park Hae-soo's Netflix original 'Squid Game' confirmed to be released on September 17] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024 - via Naver.
110. ^ "Squid Game will have a third (And final) season in 2025". December 26, 2024. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
111. ^ Maas, Jennifer (January 30, 2025). "'Squid Game' Final Season Sets Release Date, Netflix Reveals First Look". Variety. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
112. ^ "BEWARE! The 10-foot-tall freaky doll from Netflix series 'Squid Game' now in PH". Manila Bulletin. September 22, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
113. ^ "오징어게임 술래인형이다!"...올림픽공원에 뜬 영희 '인기 폭발 '. maeilkyungje. October 26, 2021. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
114. ^ 이태원에 나타난 동심 파괴 놀이터! 이태원 오겜월드 OPEN!. Netflix official Naver account (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
115. ^ Jun, Ji-hye (September 26, 2021). "'Squid Game' pop-up set in Itaewon closes due to virus concerns". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
116. ^ Kim, Hae-yeon (September 25, 2021). "'Squid Game' pop-up set to close amid concerns on quarantine rules raised". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
117. ^ Yonhap (October 4, 2021). "'Squid Game' all the rage in Paris". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
118. ^ "Squid Game : la nouvelle série coréenne à succès de Netflix". Le petit journal. October 3, 2021. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
119. ^ 현혜란 (October 4, 2021). 프랑스도 '오징어 게임' 열풍...프랑스 파리 팝업스토어 인산인해. Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
120. ^ "Netflix organiseert Squid Game-speeldagen in Nederland". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
121. ^ "Honderden fans van Squid Game spelen in Rotterdam spel uit de serie" (in Dutch). NU.nl. October 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
122. ^ "Totale gekte in centrum Rotterdam: iedereen wil meedoen aan Squid Game". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). October 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
123. ^ "A 4.5-Metre Tall Replica of the Doll From Squid Game Popped Up in Sydney Overnight". Broadsheet. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
124. ^ Balloo, Stephanie (November 6, 2021). "Squid Game comes to city as hundreds queue to see 10ft doll at New Street". BirminghamLive. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
125. ^ "Squid Game "Young-hee" Vinyl Figure Open Edition Pre-Order". Netflix Shop. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
126. ^ Reed, Chris (October 22, 2021), Squid Game Funko Pops Are Up for Preorder, archived from the original on November 19, 2021, retrieved November 19, 2021
127. ^ Rudoy, Matthew (September 19, 2024). "Squid Game Season 2 Poster Teases A Bloody Return For One Of Netflix's Most Popular Series". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
128. ^ Rudoy, Matthew (September 20, 2024). "Squid Game Season 2 Trailer: Gi-hun Returns To The Games As New Tests Are Revealed". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
129. ^ de Semlyen, Phil (December 12, 2024). "Exclusive: Netflix is throwing a massive 'Squid Game' rave at this London superclub – and tickets are free". Time Out. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
130. ^ Morán, Ángel (December 11, 2024). "Ibai Llanos anuncia su propia versión de El juego del calamar, en la que puedes ganar hasta 27.000 euros" [Ibai Llanos announces his own version of The Squid Game, in which you can win up to 27,000 euros]. Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
131. ^ Marfori, MJ (December 21, 2024). "Netflix ups the ante in global premiere for 'Squid Game 2'". Philstar Global. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
132. ^ Staff, Call of Duty (January 2, 2025). "Drop Into the Game: Netflix Squid Game Comes to Call of Duty". callofduty.com. Call of Duty. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
133. ^ a b "Squid Game: Season 1 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
134. ^ a b "Squid Game: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
135. ^ a b "Squid Game: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
136. ^ a b "Squid Game season 2 Reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
137. ^ ""Squid Game" faces controversy over English subtitle translations". Salon. October 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021. ""Squid Game" has drawn both critical acclaim and a massive global audience."
138. ^ "142m households watched Squid Game, Netflix says as it adds 4.4m subscribers". the Guardian. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
139. ^ a b Hayes, Dade (October 12, 2021). "'Squid Game' Draws 111M Views In First Month, Per Netflix, Besting 'Bridgerton' To Become Top All-Time Series Launch". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
140. ^ Keck, Catie (October 12, 2021). "Netflix calls Squid Game its 'biggest ever series at launch'". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
141. ^ Spangler, Todd (November 16, 2021). "'Squid Game' Is Decisively Netflix No. 1 Show of All Time With 1.65 Billion Hours Streamed in First Four Weeks, Company Says". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
142. ^ Sun, Rebecca (January 12, 2022). "'CODA,' 'Squid Game' Make SAG Awards Nominations History". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
143. ^ Max Goldbart (July 12, 2022). "Squid Game Nominated For Outstanding Drama Series At Emmys 2022 – Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
144. ^ Choe, Sang-Hun (November 3, 2021). "From BTS to 'Squid Game': How South Korea Became a Cultural Juggernaut". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
145. ^ Goldbart, Max (May 19, 2022). "'Squid Game' Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Developing Satire Based On Success Of 'Squid Game' Titled 'The Best Show On The Planet'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
146. ^ Hailu, Selome (June 14, 2022). "'Squid Game: The Challenge' Reality Series Greenlit at Netflix with Open Casting Call". Variety. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
147. ^ "Squid Game: Three receive treatment during Netflix show". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
148. ^ "'Squid Game: The Challenge': Netflix Sets Premiere for Competition Series". May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
149. ^ Moreau, Jordan (December 6, 2023). "'Squid Game: The Challenge' Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix, Casting Now Open". Variety. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
150. ^ Aguilar "Aggy", Jorge A. (January 2, 2025). "Squid Game: Unleashed - All Season 2 Characters, New Games & Release Dates". ScreenRant. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
151. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 28, 2024). "David Fincher Eyeing New 'Squid Game' Series As Next Project At Netflix – The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Squid Game on Netflix
* Squid Game at IMDb
* Squid Game at HanCinema

* v
* t
* e

Squid Game

Episodes|

* Season 1
* Season 2
* Season 3

Characters|

* Seong Gi-hun
* Front Man
* Kang Sae-byeok
* Han Mi-nyeo
* Ji-yeong
* Cho Hyun-ju
* Thanos

Related|

* Soundtrack
* Awards and nominations
* Cryptocurrency scam
* Crab Game
* "$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!"
* "50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000"
* Beast Games
* Squid Game: The Challenge
* Mai Whelan

Awards for Squid Game

* v
* t
* e

Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Long Form

* Mr. Robot (2015)
* Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2016)
* Atlanta (2017)
* Killing Eve (2018)
* When They See Us (2019)
* Watchmen (2020)
* Squid Game (2021)
* Pachinko (2022)
* A Small Light (2023)

* v
* t
* e

Satellite Award for Best Television Series – Drama

* The X-Files (1996)
* NYPD Blue (1997)
* Oz (1998)
* The West Wing (1999)
* The West Wing (2000)
* 24 (2001)
* CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2002)
* The Shield (2003)
* Nip/Tuck (2004)
* House (2005)
* House (2006)
* Dexter (2007)
* Dexter (2008)
* Breaking Bad (2009)
* Breaking Bad (2010)
* Justified (2011)
* Homeland (2012)
* Breaking Bad (2013)
* The Knick (2014)
* Better Call Saul (2015)
* The Crown (2016)
* Vikings (2017)
* Homecoming (2018)
* Succession (2019)
* Better Call Saul (2020)
* Squid Game (2021)
* Billions (2022)
* The Last of Us (2023)
* Slow Horses (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

* 24 (season 6) (2007)
* Heroes (season 3: Part I) (2008)
* 24 (season 7) (2009)
* True Blood (season 3) (2010)
* Game of Thrones (season 1) (2011)
* Game of Thrones (season 2) (2012)
* Game of Thrones (season 3) (2013)
* Game of Thrones (season 4) (2014)
* Game of Thrones (season 5) (2015)
* Game of Thrones (season 6) (2016)
* Game of Thrones (season 7) (2017)
* GLOW (season 2) (2018)
* Game of Thrones (season 8) (2019)
* The Mandalorian (season 2) (2020)
* Squid Game (season 1) (2021)
* Stranger Things (season 4) (2022)
* The Last of Us (season 1) (2023)
* Shōgun (season 1) (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Netflix original current series

Since 2016|

* Stranger Things

Since 2017|

* Big Mouth
* The Toys That Made Us

Since 2018|

* Car Masters: Rust to Riches
* My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman
* Queer Eye
* Somebody Feed Phil

Since 2019|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Virgin River
* The Witcher

|

Other|

* Delhi Crime
* How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)

Non-fiction|

* Formula 1: Drive to Survive
* Selling Sunset

Animation|

* Love, Death & Robots

Since 2020|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Bridgerton
* Emily in Paris
* Outer Banks
* Sweet Magnolias

|

Other|

* Alice in Borderland
* Mismatched
* She
* The Victims' Game

Non-fiction|

* Barbecue Showdown
* The Circle
* Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives
* Love Is Blind
* Too Hot to Handle

Animation|

* Blood of Zeus

Since 2021|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Ginny & Georgia
* The Upshaws

|

Other|

* Hellbound
* Squid Game

Non-fiction|

* Love Is Blind: Brazil
* Single's Inferno

Animation|

* Gabby's Dollhouse

Since 2022|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Heartbreak High
* Heartstopper
* Monster
* The Lincoln Lawyer
* The Recruit
* The Sandman
* Savage Beauty
* The Watcher
* Wednesday

|

Other|

* All of Us Are Dead
* Alpha Males
* The Empress
* Everything Calls for Salvation
* Kleo
* Midnight at the Pera Palace
* Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein

Non-fiction|

* Is It Cake?
* Love on the Spectrum
* Selling the OC
* The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On
* Worst Roommate Ever
* Young, Famous & African

Animation|

* The Creature Cases

Since 2023|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Beef
* The Diplomat
* FUBAR
* I Woke Up a Vampire
* My Life with the Walter Boys
* The Night Agent
* One Piece
* Survival of the Thickest
* XO, Kitty

|

Other|

* 1670
* Barracuda Queens
* Berlin
* Bloodhounds
* Class
* Eva Lasting
* Fake Profile
* Gyeongseong Creature
* Kaala Paani
* The Law According to Lidia Poët
* Rana Naidu
* Represent

Non-fiction|

* Full Swing
* Life on Our Planet
* Outlast
* Perfect Match
* Physical: 100
* Squid Game: The Challenge
* Stranded with my Mother-in-Law
* Surviving Paradise
* Tour de France: Unchained

Animation|

* Blue Eye Samurai
* Castlevania: Nocturne
* Mulligan
* Ninjago: Dragons Rising
* Pokémon Concierge
* Princess Power
* Unicorn Academy

Since 2024|

| Live-action|

| English|

* 3 Body Problem
* A Man on the Inside
* Avatar: The Last Airbender
* Black Doves
* Bodkin
* Geek Girl
* The Gentlemen
* Nobody Wants This
* No Good Deed
* Penelope
* Supacell
* Tires
* The Vince Staples Show

|

Other|

* A Killer Paradox
* Born for the Spotlight
* Brigands: The Quest for Gold
* Detective Forst
* GG Precinct
* Heeramandi
* Iron Reign
* Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams
* Killer Soup
* Let's Talk About Chu
* One Hundred Years of Solitude

Non-fiction|

* America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
* The Boyfriend
* Culinary Class Wars
* The Great Indian Kapil Show
* John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA
* Love Is Blind: Sweden
* Love Is Blind: UK
* NASCAR: Full Speed
* Six Nations: Full Contact
* Sprint
* Starting 5
* Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper
* The Trust: A Game of Greed
* Worst Ex Ever

Animation|

* Blue Box
* Exploding Kittens
* Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf
* The Grimm Variations
* Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance
* Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld
* Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
* Ranma ½
* Sakamoto Days
* Rising Impact
* Tokyo Override
* Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Since 2025|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Running Point
* Pulse

|

Other|

* Black Warrant
* I Am Married...But!
* Karma
* Melo Movie
* The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call

Non-fiction|

* Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
* Million Dollar Secret
* With Love, Meghan

Animation|

* Devil May Cry
* Wolf King

* Original ended series
* 2012–2018
* 2019 onward
* Continuation series
* Specials
* Upcoming series

Portals:

* South Korea
* Television

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Poland
* Catalonia

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template