On 17 September 2021, something quite remarkable occurred on Netflix. The massive streaming platform certainly wasn’t unfamiliar with millions of people watching its shows, and those shows catching mainstream news headlines due to their apparent popularity, but with Squid Game, things were different. Being an international production from South Korea stacked the odds against it to achieve this fame in the US from the start.
It wasn’t the first top-class Korean series to arrive on Netflix, with Kingdom being the prime example, but Squid Game landed with audiences in a very different way. It was incredibly relatable, dramatic, brutal, and fun, obliterating any language barriers thanks to its strong writing and endearing lead, played by Lee Jung-jae. When the teaser trailer for the second season was released on 11 August 2024, anticipation began to bubble up again.
Netflix Ran with its Prized Show
Squid Game was a colossal hit for Netflix, so they’ve run with the IP and theme. In fact, as reported on 17 November 2021, the September 2021-released show had already amassed over two billion viewing hours. In total, that amounts to an incredible 239,700 years of viewing hours. It topped the congested Netflix charts for weeks, set records for creations of its kind, and inspired over 22 billion views of the #SquidGame tag on TikTok.
In a similar way to the Japanese tale of Battle Royale, the premise is so clear-cut and its consequences are so grim that Squid Game was easy for fans to find a connection with. The emotional lows, comedic highs, and high-stakes scenarios made it a hit. The other element of Squid Game’s popularity is its take on the very familiar game show situation, which lends itself to much more light-hearted takes, like the spin-off show.
Indeed, Netflix made a real-life reality competition under the Squid Game banner. As of 29 October, casting is still open for The Challenge Season 2, which has a cash prize of $4.56 million. Then, there are the game spin-offs that you don’t need to audition for. Even in the world of online casino gaming and branded slots, Squid Game has found a home and a hefty audience.
In the slot, Squid Game: One Lucky Day, the developers have leant into the big prize element inspiring the show’s contestants as well as the specialised games for its features. The low-volatility slot game ranks among the top games on the platform now, thanks to how it draws from the experience of the show and its iconic set pieces.
Squid Game Returns, and There’ll be More to Come
The special teaser released by Netflix on 20 September, which you can watch above, collected over four million views rapidly. Yet, it’s less than a minute long. It doesn’t reveal a lot, except that the season one protagonist, Gi-hun or #456, is going back in to try to completely destroy the Squid Game institution. On 26 December, fans will discover if Gi-hun is up to the task, and if this will be the end of the Squid Game.
As if to help pour petrol on the potential obsession with Squid Game Season 2, Netflix is releasing a timely new feature. Part of what helped Squid Game reach the heights that it did was how it went viral on platforms like TikTok. Now, the Moments feature has arrived to make going viral all the easier. With it, you can easily “save, relive, and share” scenes from the app to Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and more.
One element that we know will have fans tapping the share button will be the deadly new doll that will be introduced. What we don’t know is if Gi-hun will succeed. If he does, it might only be the end of the Korean Squid Game. David Fincher has been tapped to create an English-language Squid Game for Netflix, which could see the Alien 3, Fight Club, and Gone Girl director bring the institution to the US.
Squid Game will return right at the end of the year, and with it, all of the many spin-off and branded additions to the IP will surge in popularity. Fans can look forward to new challenges, new game formats, and certainly many more twists and turns.
