It looks like many more competitors will have to endure the Squid Game ordeal — because Netflix has not only confirmed a second season but also teased big future plans for the hit Korean show.
Ted Sarandos, the company's co-CEO and chief content officer, effectively guaranteed a new series during Netflix's fourth-quarter earnings call for investors and analysts. “Absolutely,” Sarandos is quoted (via The Verge) as saying in response to a question about whether Squid Game would get a second season. He then followed up with the intriguing statement that “The Squid Game universe has just begun.”
The first bit isn't a big surprise, as Squid Game's creator and writer, Hwang Dong-hyuk, had already revealed that he was working on a second season. But what Sarandos' second statement adds is the suggestion that Netflix, understandably, intends to continue the series beyond that point. You could even read his words as implying that Netflix could expand the scope of Squid Game content into entirely new areas.
If you've watched the Squid Game ending, you'll know there are multiple angles from which to examine the games themselves and the lives of its oppressed contestants, beyond the story of season 1's main character, Seong Gi-hun. Perhaps we'll end up with a huge expanded universe in the style of Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows on Disney Plus. Perhaps we'll end up with the Squid Game movie that Hwang said he originally wanted to make. Or maybe we could see Netflix go beyond streaming content with Squid Game: The Video Game. It has just launched Netflix Gaming, after all.
Not that any of this is guaranteed long-term, of course. The list of Netflix canceled shows is a long one, so although Squid Game S1 was the most popular show the service has ever produced, the pressure to maintain that level of viewership will be high. If it can do so, though, the Squid Game expanded universe Sarandos hinted at could be on the way.
As for what to watch until Squid Game season 2 arrives, we think Alice in Borderland may just what you need to scratch that Squid Game-like itch.
Fancy something lighter? We've got a rundown everything we know so far about Love is Blind season 3.
