‘Squid Game’ Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Has Ideas for a Spin-Off Series

With the third and final season of Squid Game on the horizon, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk appears to be thinking beyond the series' explosive conclusion. While season 2 took protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) through increasingly brutal and morally fraught rounds, ending on a tense cliffhanger, Hwang has hinted that the world of Squid Game may not end with Gi-hun’s journey.

As fans prepare for the series’ climactic close on Netflix, it's clear the cultural impact of Squid Game continues to ripple across the globe. The show's compelling critique of capitalism, packaged within a tense, emotionally grounded survival thriller, struck a nerve with audiences worldwide. It peeled back layers of human desperation and moral compromise while shining a harsh light on systemic injustice.

Despite its sharp messaging, Netflix controversially adapted the drama into a real-life competition, Squid Game: The Challenge. The spin-off reality series was widely criticised for missing the original’s point, particularly after reports of poor on-set conditions and health-related emergencies among contestants. Many saw the show as a stark contradiction to Squid Game's warnings against exploitative spectacle, questioning whether the series’ core message had been drowned out by its commercial success.

Nonetheless, Hwang reportedly has thoughtful ideas for a potential spin-off, ones that could extend the universe meaningfully. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said he was interested in exploring characters whose stories have only been hinted at so far—particularly those like the enigmatic Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) or the mysterious Recruiter (Gong Yoo), both of whom played pivotal roles in the show’s mythology.

Although some of these narrative threads may be resolved in the upcoming third season, Hwang suggested that a spin-off would focus more deeply on characters who have not yet been fully explored—especially the masked guards. These anonymous enforcers carry out the orders of the game without question, yet little is known about their backstories or motivations. A spin-off centring on their perspective could offer a fresh angle that feels both justified and emotionally resonant.

A Spin-Off Could Expand the Universe Without Losing Its Soul

Hwang also noted that Squid Game has always revolved around Gi-hun’s growing obsession to dismantle the system from within. That moment in season 1, when Gi-hun turns away from boarding his flight to Los Angeles, set the tone for everything that followed. His relentless pursuit of justice—despite the toll it takes on his well-being—will likely reach its conclusion in season 3.

Whether or not Netflix greenlights a spin-off, Hwang seems intent on ensuring that any future chapter in the Squid Game universe tells a story worth telling—one that expands the world without losing sight of the show’s emotional and political core.

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