Will ‘Squid Game’ have a Season 4 or a spinoff? What we know so far

Spoiler alert: This story includes details from episodes of Season 3 of “Squid Game.”

Netflix’s juggernaut South Korean horror drama “Squid Game” came to an “unrelentingly bloody and bleak” close June 27 with an ending that hinted at a new beginning.

The new season of “Squid Game” picked up right after Season 2’s bloody cliffhanger, and found Gi-hun, aka Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae), “at his lowest point yet.”

“But the Squid Game stops for no one,” and Gi-hun was “forced to make some important choices in the face of overwhelming despair as he and the surviving players are thrust into deadlier games that test everyone’s resolve,” according to the season’s synopsis.

The viral dystopic show, which centers around main character Gi-hun has delighted fans since its 2021 premiere, combining classic thriller elements with a deeper exploration of the human capacity for evil and the perils of an unequal society. Season 2 of “Squid Game” is currently the third-biggest season of a TV show in Netflix history with 192.6 million views so far, the streamer said.

While we are still recovering from the finale, here is what we know about the future of “Squid Game,” including the potential of a spin off.

Will there be ‘Squid Game’ Season 4?

No. “Squid Game” will not be returning for another season.

Series director, writer, and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk, in a letter to fans, had said Season 3 would be the series last.

“I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new ‘Squid Game’ grow and bear fruit through the end of this story,” Dong-hyuk said in his letter. “We’ll do our best to make sure we bring you yet another thrill ride. I hope you’re excited for what’s to come.”

Dong-hyuk, in an interview with USA TODAY, said he “had a lot of depressing thoughts” in his mind while working on the show” and is “happy” to be “free of the burden, the intense pressure” involved with making Netflix’s biggest show of all time.

“I have now finished,” Dong-hyuk said.

The creator earlier told the New York Times he’s happy to be done with the series.

“Yeah, I’m very tired,” the creator told the media outlet. “I haven’t had a deep sleep for a long time. I want to take a rest. Then I want to do feature films.”

“I have an idea for my next feature,” he added.

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‘Chance’ of ‘Squid Game’ spin off

In the final moments of the show, as In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) drives away from Ga-yeong’s house, his SUV stops at a traffic light across from a dirty L.A. alley, where he hears a loud slapping noise. Lo and behold, he spots a suited games recruiter and an American man playing ddakji. And that recruiter isn’t just anyone, it’s Cate Blanchett, who gives In-ho a knowing look before she goes back to slapping her prey, hinting at the possibility of a new beginning.

While Netflix has not made any announcement regarding this, Dong-hyuk teased at the “possibility” of a spinoff to People at the Season 3 premiere in New York City.

“I cannot just tell right now when and how it’s going to happen,” he told the media outlet. “But there is a chance.”

In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly published June 25, Dong-hyuk shared he has been thinking about potentially continuing the story.

“I actually had this faint ideation about possibly a spinoff — not a sequel, but maybe a spinoff about the three-year gap between Season 1 and Season 2 when Gi-hun [Lee Jung-jae] looks around for the recruiters,” Hwang told EW. “There is that three-year period, and maybe I could have a portrayal of what the recruiters or Captain Park [Oh Dal-su] or officers or masked men were doing in that period, not inside the gaming arena, but their life outside of that.”

“So that is some vague ideation that I have that could possibly be developed in the future,” the creator told the media outlet.

However, Dong-hyuk in his interview with USA TODAY said he “didn’t write that particular scene in order to open room for spinoffs.”

“It was about how, through Gi-hun’s sacrifice, the games in Korea have come to an end,” Dong-hyuk said. “The gaming arena has been demolished. But I wanted to make the point that in other parts of the world the games do continue.”

‘Squid Game’ cast

While “Squid Game” will not be returning for another season, cast members for Season 3 include:

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (Player 456)
Lee Byung-hun as Front man / In-ho
Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho
Yim Si-wan as Myung-gi (Player 333)
Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho (Player 388)
Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju (Player 120)
Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik (Player 007)
Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja (Player 149)
Jo Yuri as Jun-hee (Player 222)
Lee David as Min-su (Player 125)
Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu (Player 124)
Park Gyu-young as No-eul

How to watch ‘Squid Game’ Season 3

All three seasons of “Squid Game” are available to stream on Netflix.

Contributing: Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

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