Hwang Dong-hyuk, creator of Netflix’s global sensation Squid Game, has revealed that he’s “so sick” of the survival drama that became a cultural phenomenon. The series, first released in 2021, shattered Netflix streaming records, inspired countless parodies, and sparked spinoffs like Squid Game: The Challenge and a video game adaptation, Squid Game: Unleashed.
With the highly anticipated second season set to premiere on December 26, Hwang has voiced his exhaustion from the series that has consumed his professional life. Speaking to Variety, he admitted, “I’m so tired. I’m so sick of Squid Game. I’m so sick of my life making something, promoting something.”
Looking ahead, Hwang is planning to take a well-earned break once he’s finished postproduction for Season 2 and work on the already-greenlit third season. “I just want to go to a remote island and have my own free time without any phone calls from Netflix,” he shared humorously, quickly clarifying, “Not the Squid Game island.”
However, Hwang reassured fans that his fatigue has not impacted the effort being poured into the show’s next chapters. Given that he initially didn’t envision a follow-up to the original series, the scale of the second season and its continuation in development remain a testament to the franchise’s enduring popularity.
Season 2 Sneak Peek
The newly released trailer for Season 2 reintroduces viewers to Lee Jung-jae’s Player 456. Three years after winning the deadly competition, Gi-hun remains committed to dismantling the organization behind the nightmarish games. His search begins with tracking the mysterious man in a suit playing ddakji on the subway. But as the official synopsis reveals, Gi-hun’s path to justice becomes even more treacherous, forcing him to re-enter the brutal competition he once survived.
The trailer offers glimpses of both familiar and new elements. The iconic “Red Light, Green Light” game has returned, along with the infamous glass bridge and the ominous transparent piggy bank full of money. Yet Season 2 introduces fresh horror-like moments, including a sinister game of X’s and O’s and a chilling twist on a merry-go-round scene.
What’s Ahead for Squid Game?
While Season 2 is just weeks away, buzz around the third season of Squid Game is already beginning to build. The sheer scale of the series has grown beyond what Hwang initially imagined, with the story evolving into a sprawling commentary on power, inequality, and survival.
But for now, the mastermind behind this dystopian world is ready to hit the pause button, yearning for a life far from Netflix meetings and filming schedules.
Season 2 premieres December 26—don’t miss out on what promises to be another gripping chapter in Squid Game’s saga of suspense and survival.