The player Gi-hun is at a turning point after a bitter loss in the finale of the second season.
“Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has spoken out about the dramatic ending of season two and the planned sequel to the hit Netflix series.
Warning: This article contains spoilers.
“The feeling of great guilt and failure”
The second season, which started on December 26, 2024, ends with a shocking moment: Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) best friend Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) is killed right in front of his eyes by the frontman (Lee Byung-hun ) shot. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk spoke in an interview with “Variety” about the decision to end the season with this unforeseen death.
It was a deliberate trick to lead Gi-hun’s journey to a severe emotional low point. Previously, the main character’s efforts to end the “Squid Game” had been in vain. “So all his failures lead to this serious crisis where he loses his best friend Jung-bae at the hands of the frontman,” Hwang said. “And from that moment on in season three, this feeling of great guilt and failure weighs heavily on him – how will Gi-hun continue his mission? This is the story that will continue to unfold.”
New start date very soon
Another surprise of the season was a mysterious scene during the end credits that hints at a new twist in the sequel. The screenwriter teased further clues that could be important for the new storyline: In the sequence, a previously unfamiliar form of games can be glimpsed – with new male and female versions of the giant, laser-eyed “red light, green light” dolls.
When asked when the new episodes might be released, the director explained that the release is expected to take place in summer or fall 2025. The series will deal with the question of what happens next for Gi-hun after the loss of everything that was important to him. Hwang emphasized that the character will continue to develop – after the events of the current episodes, it will no longer be the same. Gi-hun is “facing a very critical crossroads,” Hwang said.
Global success concept
The South Korean thriller series premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2021 and quickly became a global phenomenon with record streaming numbers. It deals with topics such as social inequality and people’s drive to survive in a brutal, competitive situation based on children’s games – in which they literally have to walk over corpses.