Netflix confirms season 2 of Squid Game, says 'universe has just begun’

Squid Game, the show that broke the internet — literally — has confirmed its return with a second season and Netflix says this is only the beginning. South Korea's Squid Game became Netflix's biggest original show debut in Oct last year, adding 4.4 million users to the video streaming platform's subscriptions in three months and fans are excited for what is in store as the "Squid Game universe" expands.

Last year, director Hwang Dong-hyuk claimed there would be another season. Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos finally confirmed the news during Netflix’s fourth quarter 2021 earnings interview, saying, “Absolutely, the Squid Game universe has just begun.”

He placed Squid Game among Netflix’s entertainment franchises that the company sees as having growth potential outside the core streaming service, with live experiences, games and merchandise.

This aligns with Hwang's comments last year. “There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!” he had told AP in the fall. “But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently.”

Hwang also revealed that lead actor Lee Jung-jae will return as Squid Game’s main character, Seong Gi-hun.

Though the branching out of Squid Game is still in process, Hwang says it will have something to do with police corruption. Fans are speculating and have guesses for spin-offs and an anime series — some even thinking there could be a reality competition show on it — without the death factor, of course.

The series centres on people who are so desperate for money that they agree to take part in a series of schoolyard games with a deadly twist.

The dystopian survival drama from South Korea is said to have become Netflix’s biggest-ever TV show. With that success has come global recognition for its stars.

The show has been so popular, Netflix had to edit the Squid Game phone number after the woman who owned it was inundated with calls. The series was also smuggled across the border to North Korea, which resulted in very serious consequences.