Is SQUID GAME 3 the last we’ll see of the popular franchise?

Squid Game, one of the most popular and successful franchises on the Netflix platform, ends on June 27 with Squid Game 3.

Or does it?

The Squid Game cast has traveled around Korea and America for the past few weeks on a press tour, and during the stop in Korea, director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed there may be more Squid Game in the future—but not any time soon. As translated by Korea Herald, Hwang said he doesn’t plan to write Season 4, explaining, “Once you watch Season 3, you’ll see that while a Season 4 could be made, it doesn’t necessarily need to be.” However, he added, “I am considering the possibility of doing a spinoff.”

He didn’t elaborate on what that spinoff might look like, but the success of the Squid Game franchise has already led to related series like the reality competition show Squid Game: The Challenge, the video game Squid Game: Unleashed, and an English-language adaptation of Squid Game announced in October 2024.

Squid Game roots its premise in critiques of class disparity and capitalism. Season 2 dove deeper into those themes and focused on future generations by introducing cast members who were much younger than those in Season 1. Hwang’s goal for Season 3 isn’t to give viewers definitive answers but to leave them with questions: “Can we offer the next generation a better, more sustainable world [in today’s capitalist society where excessive competition and the constant stimulation of human desire lead to feelings of frustration and defeat]?”

456 people, all of them chosen because they’re in deep financial debt, land on a secret island where they must compete in a series of deadly children’s games. Although they get the choice to leave, they all ultimately return because life outside the games feels even worse, and at least Squid Game gives them a faint hope of winning 45.6 billion won to pay off their debt. Season 2 introduces a pseudo-democracy, allowing players to vote on whether to continue the games, with the majority deciding.

The series stars Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, who returns in Season 2 to shut down the games after winning them in Season 1. Season 2 also intensifies the conflict between him and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) as their ideals clash: Seong Gi-hun believes in the good of humanity, while the Front Man aims to break him by proving people will betray one another for personal gain.

Squid Game 3 returns for its final season on Netflix on June 27.

Source: Korea Herald