Hwang Dong-hyuk Teases ‘Squid Game’ Spinoff Beyond the Arena

25 June 2025

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in 'Squid Game'/ No Ju-han/Netflix

When Netflix’s juggernaut “Squid Game” edges toward its final chapter this Friday with Season 3, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk isn’t quite ready to close the book on the brutal playground he unleashed upon the world. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly this week, Hwang revealed he’s turned his imagination toward a spinoff series, one that would explore the years separating the events of Seasons 1 and 2 and shine a spotlight on figures who have remained shrouded in mystery outside of the games themselves.

The concept is deliberate and understated. Hwang clarified that this would not be a sequel in the traditional sense. Instead, he’s intrigued by the three-year gap in which the enigmatic recruiters, Captain Park, the masked guards, and其他 key players operated beyond the confines of the deadly contests. It is a narrative canvas Hwang has long wanted to paint upon one that could expose the unseen machinations behind the games and deepen the mythology of the world he created.

This is not the first time “Squid Game” has given birth to offshoots. There are already related projects, including a reality-competition spin-off, Squid Game: The Challenge, and a video game tie-in. Yet none of these have anchored directly to the experience of the franchise’s darker, more internal operatives. This planned series could fill that gap, offering insight into the lives and perhaps the motivations of those who construct the arena’s deadly logic.

The idea reveals several undercurrents at play. First is Hwang’s own toll. The creator admitted the simultaneous shoot of Seasons 2 and 3 took a physical toll on him: he lost two more teeth during production, adding to the dental trauma of Season 1, in which he lost eight or nine teeth. The fact he remains so invested in the story speaks to his creative stamina and suggests that, despite exhaustion, the franchise’s narrative hold remains deep.

Second, it underlines a narrative strategy that has served “Squid Game” well. The series thrives at revealing the machinery behind the mask, the world beyond the set pieces. Moving the lens outward to those who orchestrate the horrors may redefine the franchise’s moral architecture and maintain its cultural pull even as the central storyline concludes.

In the interview, Hwang expressed restraint as well, confirming that Season 3 will close Gi-hun’s arc. Yet his refusal to shut the door on potential spin-offs signals a longer-term vision for a sprawling universe. “Never say never,” he remarked a phrase pregnant with creative possibility.

Execution won’t be easy. Netflix and international audiences are wary of sprawl for tradition’s sake. A spinoff centered on recruiters and anonymity-rich figures will need strong grounding, emotional resonance, and moral stakes not just behind-the-scenes bureaucracy. But if Hwang masters that same tension between capitalism and desperation he did in the main series, the spinoff could be both fresh and resonant.

And Hwang is aware of the challenge. In previous interviews he admitted to feeling invisibly watched, as though season-ending fan reactions created a vacuum that he sometimes filled with anxiety and stress including the infamous episodes of tooth loss . His creative instinct, however, appears undeterred. The spinoff ideation is rooted not in franchise pressure, but in creative curiosity what happens outside of the arena, when masks slip and strategy matters.

Should Netflix greenlight the project, its timing will be key. With fans’ attention freshly peaked by Season 3’s release on June 27, viewership is hot. A follow-up focused on recruiters or guards would need to balance philosophical inquiry with compelling characters perhaps delving into Captain Park’s loneliness, unexplored backstories, or the motivations of Silent Enforcers who operate in the shadows.

Still, challenges remain. The gap-filled timeline between Seasons 1 and 2 is both wide and thin wide enough to roam narratively, but thin enough to risk redundancy. Characters may be obscure, motivations speculative, and the danger of diluting the brand real. Yet, in the hands of Hwang a storyteller shaped by personal metaphor and social critique a well-designed spinoff could illuminate structural injustice hidden by stylized game violence.

For viewers, the appeal will hinge on novelty and insight. What did the recruiters consume when not framing humans into fearful duplicates? How did Captain Park cope when cameras were off? And would the morality of the unseen players match the brutality we’ve witnessed in the core series? The potential for moral complexity and philosophical resonance is high.

“Squid Game” already stands among Netflix’s flagship properties. By turning toward its mechanistic core, the franchise may sustain itself as a cultural landmark. It could continue the conversation on capitalism and desperation not from the contestants' point of view, but from those who count the money and pull the strings.

Whether this spinoff becomes reality depends on Hwang’s health, Netflix’s appetite, and audience willingness to follow the game behind the games. But the promise alone signals a future where “Squid Game” morphs from dramatic thriller to expansive universe where masks and money hide deeper questions about humanity, morality, and the unseen hands that shape our spectacle.

As the final season arrives this weekend, fans can watch knowing the story may extend beyond the arena. And if Hwang’s vision comes to pass, what unfolds off-stage may be as compelling perhaps more chilling than anything that ever took place in the arena itself.