Squid Game: The Challenge - Dangerous Games Come To Life In Teaser For Netflix's Reality Competition Series
"Squid Game" is back...
Netflix found itself sitting atop a goldmine when it debuted Hwang Dong-hyuk's "Squid Game," a Korean-language series that was tailor-made for binging. Within days, the survival thriller, which sees over 400 contestants risking death to compete for a cash prize, became a worldwide phenomenon. Audiences around the globe quickly found themselves obsessed with the show's daring premise and intricate sets, turning it into a viral juggernaut. As it stands, "Squid Game" is one of Netflix's most popular shows. It also cemented Dong-hyuk as one of South Korea's most interesting creatives.
As a sensation, "Squid Game" wasn't just "Netflix's flavor of the month" — it became a key part of internet culture. From a flurry of memes to satirical videos to influencers trying to create the Dalgona/Honeycomb challenge at home for their viewers, it was difficult to escape "Squid Game" in 2021. But the popularity of "Squid Game" wasn't short-lived. The series went on to wrack up over a dozen Emmy nods, winning Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Director, among others.
While it was originally meant to remain a limited series, the show's popularity compelled Dong-hyuk to consider a future. Season 2 is expected to hit the streaming giant in 2024. While the sophomore season is still a few ways away, Netflix is capitalizing on the success of the series, debuting a teaser for "Squid Game: The Challenge," a reality competition show that sees players across the world competing in challenges inspired by the show.
Squid Game: The Challenge features authentic recreation of the original series' sets
The teaser for "Squid Game: The Challenge" debuted in conjunction with Tudum, Netflix's annual fan event. The short clip gives fans of the series a look at the reality competition show's impressive set design, which looks to be extremely authentic. The Front Man's "masked men" can be seen erecting the show's sets, before viewers are treated to a look at the iconic "Red Light, Green Light" set. The contestants, of which there are 456, are seen walking out onto the set, sporting the iconic green and white jackets. While the teaser trailer is brief, it confirms two things: "Squid Game: The Challenge" is trying its best to recreate the show's games to a T, and this is definitely a real series that doesn't take cues from its source material — re: capitalism bad.
The prize pot for "Squid Game: The Challenge"? $4.56 million. The number of controversies the competition series has racked up? Too many to count. A report from earlier this year suggests that the contestants participating in the series were forced to deal with cruel and unruly conditions, such as filming in tracksuits during freezing temperatures.
"Squid Game: The Challenge" comes after YouTuber Mr. Beast recreated the show's iconic games for his own channel. Only time will tell if Netflix's reality competition series will be as popular as Mr. Beast's video, which has racked up over 440 million views.