Since its debut in 2021, Squid Game has been one of Netflix’s biggest hits, enthralling audiences worldwide with its brutal games and poignant social commentary. With the release of Season 2, fans were taken aback by the story’s division into two seasons, especially with the shocking cliffhanger that closed Season 2. But what prompted this decision, and what does it mean for the series’ conclusion? Spoilers incoming!
“Squid Game” Creator Explains Why It Was Split Into Seasons Two and Three
The decision to divide the story into Seasons 2 and 3 came directly from series creator Hwang Dong Hyuk. Originally envisioned as a single narrative arc, the continuation of Squid Game quickly became too expansive for one season. Dong Hyuk explained to Variety, “When I first wrote the story of Seasons 2 and 3, it was one long story arc. I was originally planning to write this story across a span of about eight to nine episodes, but once I finished, it came to over 10 episodes, which I thought was too long to contain in a single season.”
This narrative sprawl necessitated a break. Dong Hyuk saw a natural stopping point in the story—the climactic failure of protagonist Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung Jae) rebellion against the Front Man (Lee Byung Hun). Speaking to CinemaBlend, Dong Hyuk elaborated, “Gi-hun’s revolt going into a failure, him ending up losing his best friend, that itself being yet another important climactic event in the first half of the season… I thought it would just be the right adequate moment to rest and have it continue on in the further season.”
The end of Season 2 left fans reeling, with Gi-hun’s attempts to dismantle the deadly competition culminating in a harrowing cliffhanger. As the Front Man coldly executes Jung-bae, Gi-hun is forced to watch, powerless, while his closest ally bleeds out. The emotional devastation of this moment, combined with Gi-hun’s repeated failures to outmaneuver the system, sets the stage for a darker and more introspective journey in the final season.
Why “Squid Game” Is Ending with Season Three
Despite its monumental success, Squid Game will conclude with Season 3. According to Dong Hyuk, the decision to end the series is driven by creative intentions rather than commercial ones. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he explained, “Personally, I see the third season as being the finale to this story. That’s because I believe I’ve had closure to the story I wanted to tell about society through the character of Seong Gi-hun.”
While Dong Hyuk remains open to potential spin-offs exploring other aspects of the Squid Game universe, such as the lives of the masked guards, Gi-hun’s story will reach its definitive conclusion in the upcoming season. In a conversation with Deadline, he teased a “crazy, chaotic” finale, hinting at more twists that will leave audiences on edge.
When Is “Squid Game” Season Three Releasing?
Season 3 of Squid Game is set to premiere in 2025, with a tentative release window in the summer or fall. Dong Hyuk hinted to Variety that the launch date for Season 3 would be announced shortly after the release of Season 2.
As for the story’s direction, fans can expect to see a very different Gi-hun. “After Gi-hun experiences [Season 2’s events], based on the failure as well as that immense sense of guilt, you’re going to get yet another character arc from Gi-hun,” Dong Hyuk shared with CinemaBlend. “He will not be the man he was in Season 2.”
Squid Game Season 2 is streaming on Netflix.
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