Squid Game took the world by storm when it premiered in 2021. The Korean drama functions as a dark satire of capitalism and wealth inequality by showcasing a little battle royale for the entertainment of the rich. When it came out during the height of the pandemic, it seemed like kismet – it was exactly what audiences were waiting for
Which is why it’s somewhat baffling that Netflix chose to announce a reality series based on the show. Yes, Netflix’s take on the murderous tale of desperation is coming to real life, and Netflix has finally shown off more information about the series during its TUDUM 2023 celebrations.
The TUDUM 2023 live stream actually cut out briefly during the announcement of the Squid Game reality show, but it has been reported that the 10-episode, UK-filmed series will be releasing on Netflix sometime in November of this year. Just as in the hit tv show, Squid Game: The Challenge will feature 456 contestants, each fighting to take home $4.56 million – a life changing amount of money.
A brief teaser for the series was shown off during the event. The teaser features contestants running towards the iconic ‘Red Light Green Light’ game, complete with the giant, killer (& hopefully non-operational!) doll that has come to represent the series.
It definitely seems like Netflix has lost the forest through the trees on this one – the series is a critique of dehumanization in the name of entertainment, and celebrating the series’ success by enlisting several down-on-their-luck people to compete in that same event, well, that’s just on the nose, isn’t it? Hopefully whoever participated in this series was well-compensated.
