Squid Game season 2: Netflix gives green light to return of hit Korean drama

Squid Game, the psychological thriller from South Korea that became Netflix’s most popular series of all time when it launched in September 2021, is to return for a second season, the streaming service has confirmed.

A post on the official Netflix account on Sunday 12 June shared a 10-second clip featuring the eye of giant doll Young-hee and the song she sings during the deadly game of Red Light, Green Light in season 1.

 As the short clip continues, the doll’s eye glows bright red before the red light turns into a figure ‘2’. The symbols worn by the Squid Game guards – circle, triangle and square – then appear at the bottom of the video along with the Netflix logo.

No date is featured on the clip – not so much as a ‘Coming soon’ – and the post only reads “Red light… GREENLIGHT! Squid Game is officially coming back for Season 2!”

What is the plot of Squid Game season 2?

No plot details have been announced yet, although a message from Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk posted alongside Netflix’s green-light announcement and entitled ‘A whole new round is coming’ hints at what we might expect.

“It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever,” writes Hwang, above.

“As the writer, director, and producer of ‘Squid Game,’ a huge shout out to fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show. 

“And now, Gi-hun returns.

“The Front Man returns.

“Season 2 is coming.

“The man in the suit with ddakji might be back.

“You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su. 

“Join us once more for a whole new round.”

There is little plot detail in Hwang’s message, although he has previous hinted that season 2 may involve Seong Gi-hun’s attempts to find out more about the deadly tournament and the people behind it.

“The focus [of the season] will be the story of [Lee Jung Jae‘s character] Seong Gi Hun unraveling [the mysteries of the organization behind the game],” he said in an interview with Korean broadcaster KBS – reported in English-language Korean pop culture website Soompi - in December 2021.

“The overarching plotline of Season 2 will be the story of the people that Gi Hun meets and the people he chases after.”

He also hinted, in an interview with The Times, that a follow-up might explore the issue of why police officers didn’t act fast enough once their suspicions were aroused.

Who will feature in Squid Game season 2?

*Warning: Season 1 spoilers ahead*

In his message, Squid Game creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk gave a few hints as to who we might see returning from season 1. We already know who won’t be returning from the original series – all the featured players lost their lives in pursuit of the 45.6 billion Won prize money, as did detective Hwang Jun-ho, who infiltrated the Squid Game compound to investigate his brother’s mysterious disappearance only to die when he got too close to the shocking truth.

Game winner Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae, above) will be back though, after seemingly opting against reconnecting with his daughter in Los Angeles in favour of tracking down the people behind the Squid Game.

One of those, Hwang In-ho, known as the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and later revealed to be cop Hwang Jun-ho’s missing brother, is returning. He was last heard over the phone ordering Gi-hun to board the plane, so will be less than happy to discover that he is still in Korea.

“The man in the suit with ddakji” in Hwang Dong-hyuk’s message is Gong Yoo’s character, also known as the Salesman, who recruits players – not entirely randomly, we discover – to join the Squid Game by playing a card-flipping game.

Along with red light, green light doll Young-hee, we’re also promised an introduction to her boyfriend, Cheol-su. What kind of game he oversees has, for now, been left to our imagination.

When will Squid Game season 2 arrive on Netflix?

Netflix has only just confirmed that Squid Game is officially coming back for a second season, and there’s no indication of where season 2 is in the production process. As such, we wouldn’t expect to see Squid Game season 2 before the end of this year and probably not until the spring of 2023 at the earliest. 

Will there be a Squid Game season 3?

At the moment, Netflix and Hwang have only confirmed a second season of Squid Game, although in December 2021, the writer told KBS that he was in discussions with Netflix which included a third series. 

What is Squid Game?

Squid Game is a nine-part drama from South Korea which became Netflix’s most watch show of all time when it launched in September 2021. The streaming service estimates that more than 142 million households watched the programme in its first 28 days.

In Squid Game, 456 debt-ridden people are invited by a mysterious organisation to play six playground games over six days for a jackpot prize of 45.6 billion won (£28.6 million). The catch? If you lose, you die.

Squid Game: How the Korean thriller became Netflix's biggest hit of all time

The first episode in the nine-part series sees the contestants play a deadly version of statues, in which masked assassins – overseen by the Front Man - kill anyone at the slightest hint of movement.

The final scene of the series left Squid Game open to a second season, and while writer Hwang Dony-hyuk initially said he had no plans for a second season, he did say that if it came about it would be developed using a team of writers and directors, rather than being all the work of one man like season 1.

Real life Squid Game reality show coming to Netflix

In the same week as the season 2 announcement, Netflix has opened applications for a real life Squid Game reality series. If you fancy your chances, you can apply at SquidGameCasting.com.

Billed as the biggest reality competition ever, there will 456 real players and a life-changing reward of $4.56 million.

As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show - plus surprising new additions - their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.

Netflix said: "The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed."

Watch Squid Game season 1 on Netflix now.