No sooner was Squid Game released than viewership exploded. It quickly became one of the most successful Netflix series ever. Developed by Siren Pictures, the South Korean drama series launched on Netflix on September 17, 2021. Within four weeks, the series was viewed by over 142 million Netflix accounts. This knocked previous record holder Bridgerton (82 million views) from first place by a huge margin.

By now there should be hardly anyone who doesn’t know the plot and hasn’t already seen the first season. The Netflix series is about a deadly game that pits 456 players against each other on a mysterious, remote island. The 456 participants play traditional Korean children’s games. But no matter how harmless the games are, the consequences of losing are deadly.

In the broadest sense, it’s about morality and survival instincts, as well as the negative effects of contemporary capitalism. All participants suffer from high levels of debt and lead lives with little to lose. Therefore, they risk everything for the top prize of ₩45.6 billion (€35 million).

10 year old idea

The idea for the series came from the director Hwang Dong-hyuk in 2008. However, his screenplay was ridiculed right from the start, criticized as being too unrealistic and brutal. It was only ten years later, in 2018, that he picked up the story again and expanded it into a series for Netflix.

The fact that the series was well received by the streaming giant also had to do with the development over the past 15 years. Society became aware of the gap between rich and poor. Cryptocurrencies and surveillance made the series’ content seem more relevant and real than it was in 2008.

continuation

Now the second season finally follows, which the fans are eagerly waiting for. This has now been officially confirmed by Netflix. Co-CEO Sarandos also explained that season two is just the beginning of the Squid Game universe. Now Netflix tweeted the groundbreaking news and now announced the start of the next season: “On your marks. Finished. Green light. Squid Game continues, only on Netflix.”

On your marks.
Finished.
Green light.
squid game continues,
only on Netflix.#SquidGameS2 pic.twitter.com/gTCu7XUDbW

— netflixde (@NetflixDE) June 12, 2022

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