When Squid Game debuted on Netflix in 2021, it became an instant worldwide hit. Its thriller vibe, exciting challenges, expressive setting and anti-capitalist message deeply appealed to viewers, and the series skyrocketed to becoming the most-viewed thing on the platform.
Although a second season of the series was quickly announced, it’s still unknown when the new episodes will premiere. However, fans longing for a survival tale have something else to look forward to, as Netflix has created a Squid Game-inspired reality show.
Find out what to expect from the unusual programme and when it will release.
When will Squid Game: The Challenge release?
The new reality show will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, 22 November 2023. The season will consist of 10 episodes, which will all be released on the same day.
Netflix
What is Squid Game: The Challenge about?
The South Korean survival thriller told the story of a group of 456 people who were locked in a facility on a private island to take part in a terrifying competition inspired by children’s games. The winner would get a gigantic prize of 45.6 billion won (over 33 million dollars), but the losers faced death.
Netflix has decided to accurately recreate the gameplay of the series… skipping the killing of contestants, of course.
As the show’s description goes:
With both the largest cast and lump sum cash prize in reality TV history, 456 real players will enter the game in pursuit of a life-changing reward of $4.56 million. As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them. The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed.
The series faced some media criticism when it was rumoured that contestants faced uncomfortable conditions on set, including freezing temperatures (via Rolling Stone). Netflix has denied these rumours.
Who are the contestants on Squid Game: The Challenge?
The reality show will feature the exact same number of contestants as the TV series, making Squid Game: The Challenge arguably the largest project of this kind in television history.
Casting for the production was conducted worldwide, with English language skills as a basic requirement. Netflix hasn’t revealed the names of the contestants taking part in the reality show.
Is there a trailer for Squid Game: The Challenge?
Thanks to the official trailer, you can see what awaits the programme’s participants:
What are the games in Squid Game: The Challenge?
According to the creators, the participants of the show will have to face the same challenges and compete in the same games as the characters in the series.
If so, we can expect games such as:
- Red Light/Green Light
- Sugar Honeycombs
- Tug of War
- Marbles
- Hopscotch (Glass Bridge)
- Squid Game
Squid Game: The Challenge will also feature games that weren’t in the original show. Thanks to the trailer, you can get a sneak peek at least two of them – it looks like the contestants will play ships and have to pull toys out of a claw machine.