‘Squid Game’ Creator Says Season 2 Changed the Show’s Ending: ‘I Saw This New Path That I Wanted to Go Down’

Trust the creator of “Squid Game” to not fold under pressure.

Writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk spent nearly a decade on the story that would become Season 1 of his Netflix drama, but once the series became a smash hit, there were immediate and enthusiastic calls for more. Suddenly, he was set to write and produce not one, but two more seasons of “Squid Game” in record time compared to their predecessor.

“Because I created Season 1 without much thought about doing the second season, when it was decided that we would do Season 2, the pressure was indeed immense,” director Hwang told IndieWire via translator while doing press for “Squid Game 2.” “I was thinking to myself: will I really be able to pull this off? Will I be able to create or write something that would exceed Season 1? But once I got to writing, and once I got into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the games with his own motives, it actually went a lot better than I thought it would. I was able to create a story that I felt was more intriguing, come up with more interesting characters and come up with more original and intriguing games as well.”

“Along the way, I think that sense of burden or pressure actually changed into a source of joy, and I gradually gained the confidence that we were creating something that the fans of the first season would not be disappointed with,” he added. “Having said that, it was obviously no easy feat. However, I think with that confidence, I was able to go into it with a better approach.”

The Season 2 trailer depicts Gi-hun returning to the games, but using his experience to help others better survive the deadly challenges ahead. Yet even with his warnings of certain doom, plenty of other players want to take the risk and try their hand at winning billions.

Hwang told IndieWire that working on Season 2 at the same time as the third and final season (due at the end of 2025) informed his writing process and shaped the story differently than taking time in between.

“I wrote Seasons 2 and 3 at the same time… and along the storyline, there is a turning point that takes place, and that leads to a series of different events, and also leads to a significant change in the character,” Hwang said. “Relatively speaking, the ending for Season 2 came to me quite early on. However, the ending to Season 3, actually ended up [in] a different direction than what I had initially conceived of. While I was working on the story and working on the script, I saw this new path that I wanted to go down, and so the ending of Season 3 actually changed in the process of creating Season 2.”

“Squid Game 2” premieres December 26 on Netflix.