Squid Game creator open to spin-offs

It may be the end of K-drama Squid Game when the final chapter of the global phenomenon premieres on Netflix on June 27.

- Joanne Soh

However, creator-director Hwang Dong-hyuk is not closing the doors on the Squid Game universe that he introduced in 2021.

While he confirms there would not be a Season 4, he suggests there is room to explore the backstories and lives of the characters he created.

"I get curious myself when I write the story. What are the characters up to during the years between the seasons?" says the filmmaker, 54.

He was at a press conference held in Seoul on June 9 that was livestreamed to Singapore and Malaysia media. "I could do Squid Game spin-offs or a prequel if the opportunity allows."

Since its debut on Netflix on Sept 17, 2021, the fictional South Korean survival series — in which contestants battle it out in gruesome games to win 45.6 billion won (S$43 million) — remains the streamer's most popular show to date.

When Season 2 started its run in December 2024, it broke the record for most views of a show in its premiere week and made it to Netflix's global Most Popular Non-English TV list in just three days.