Squid Game creator teases "even more intriguing" games in season 2

Squid Game took over the streaming world when it premiered in 2021. It quickly blew up, smashing records at every turn. The South Korean survival drama followed a bunch of cash-strapped people who are invited to be contestants in a series of games, where the last man standing wins a huge cash prize. But there's a brutal twist: those who lose are killed on the spot.

From 'Red Light, Green Light' to 'Tug of War,' the brutal versions of classic games fast became one of the show's defining features. In fact, the games became so popular that everyone was playing them, just with less death. Notably, YouTube star MrBeast created his own version of Squid Game, remaking the sets and everything. And Netflix itself jumped on the success with Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality spinoff show with real people taking part in the games, although again, nobody is killed in this version. There's even a mobile game called Squid Game: Unleashed that will be playable on the Netflix app come December 17, so the streamer is still finding new ways to trade on the show.

So naturally, when it came to developing new games for season 2, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had his work cut out for him. "[These are] games that I've actually played growing up," Hwang told Digital Spy. He added that the new set of games in season 2 are "even more intriguing" than what we saw in season 1, "both visually and storyline-wise."

From the trailer, we know that the iconic game of 'Red Light, Green Light' is back, complete with the return of the sadistic motion-sensing doll:

Games aside, however, Hwang implores fans to focus on the main storyline. "The main axis of the storyline is going to be the clash between Gi-hun with these motives [to stop the games] and In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), who wants to stop Gi-hun from stopping the game," he said. "So I think focusing on that main storyline is going to help you get a great viewing experience."

Hwang also talked to Empire about the process of making Squid Game season 2 and what to expect. It sounds like we're in for a doozy of a season. “I believe what we’ve created on Season 2 is a deeper, more advanced story,” he said. “I feel it could even surpass Season 1. But physically, mentally, it was not easy. Some of the sequences we shot were the most challenging in my whole career. It was... hell.”

"It’s not getting better out there — it’s getting worse. Worse climate change, more wars, more people dying. Compare the world [in 2021] and now — our lives are not improving...I even had some concerns because the story told in the second season is much crueller, scarier and more gruesome than the first. Honestly, I thought to myself... ‘Is this too much for people to handle?"

We'll find out soon enough. Squid Game season 2 premieres December 26 on Netflix. It will wrap up with a third season the year after.

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