Screenshots from the Netflix Original Series Squid Game 2 were recently made public. (Courtesy of Netflix) 

Netflix viewers can look forward to Squid Game’s second season being released this year. Production for the highly anticipated season was announced in June 2022 and commenced in July 2023. Although an exact release date for this year’s second season hasn’t been confirmed yet, recent stills and footage shared by Netflix indicate that the upcoming season will have a more intense atmosphere compared to the first one and will continue the story from where season one left off.

The upcoming season has a tough act to follow: The initial season became Netflix’s highest-rated show, accumulating 1.65 billion hours of viewership within the first four weeks of its premiere. It garnered multiple accolades, such as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Oh Young-soo, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung Jae and Jung Ho Yeon, respectively.

Information regarding the direction of the upcoming season is scarce. The first season of the series centered around a covert competition involving 456 participants who are all facing severe financial difficulties. They put their lives on the line by participating in a series of perilous children’s games, all for the opportunity to win a staggering prize of 45.6 billion won. Squid Game’s central theme revolves around the significance and worth of money, delving into the depths of human desperation and exploring the lengths individuals are willing to go in order to amass a fortune. Throughout the show, the characters frequently betray their companions, endure the loss of loved ones and abandon their moral compasses – all in the name of the game.

Squid Game 2 is set to be released this year. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Seong Gi-hun, the main character of the first season, is a compulsive gambler whose addiction ultimately led to the end of his marriage. In an attempt to turn his life around, he decides to participate in the game. Accompanying him is Hwang Jun-ho, a young man who sneaks onto the island where the game is held. Hwang, also known as the “Frontman,” is determined to uncover the truth about his brother’s involvement in a previous version of the game. Lastly, there is Oh Il-nam, an elderly man suffering from a brain tumor. Despite his deteriorating health, Oh Il-nam chooses to take part in the game as a way to experience some final thrills before his life ends.

Netflix announcements so far suggest that season two of the show will continue from where Gi-hun left off at the end of season one. Despite winning the game, Gi-hun decides to abandon his plans to fly to the United States and instead embarks on a “pursuit with a specific motive.” According to Netflix, the upcoming season will reintroduce familiar characters from season one, with the “Front Man” playing a more prominent role. Season two will also feature Yim Siwan, Kang Haneul, Lee Jin Uk, Park Sung Hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-shim, Lee Da-wit, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae Won, Jo Yuri and Won Ji-an.

In the second season, there are some fresh faces joining the cast. Yim Siwan, known for his roles in “The Attorney” and “Emergency Declaration,” is one of them. Kang Haneul, who starred in “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet,” is also part of the new additions. Park Gyuyoung, from “Attack the Gas Station,” Lee Jin Uk, Park Sung Hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim from “Kim Ji-young: Born 1982,” Lee David from “The Terror Live,” Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae Won, Jo Yuri and Won Ji complete the list of new cast members.

While the second season of Squid Game may not achieve the same level of popularity as the first season, fans of the original show are eagerly anticipating the new season to relive the emotions they felt from the series’ exceptional writing and captivating cast. Moreover, given that the plot lines in season one skillfully combined satire, melodrama, shock and horror, fans are looking for more of the same in season two, if not something even better.