Netflix confirms return of 'Squid Game' for second season

Seoul: The avid lovers of the popular Korean survival drama 'Squid Game' can now rejoice as the Netflix's hit series is officially returning for season 2, Variety reported on Thursday.

The same has been confirmed by the co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos of the streaming platform.

On Netflix's fourth quarter 2021 earnings interview, Sarandos was asked whether there would be a second season of the violent South Korean survival drama, which has scored as the company's No. 1 most-viewed TV series, reports variety.com.

"Absolutely," Sarandos replied.

"The 'Squid Game' universe has just begun."

He put 'Squid Game' in the category of Netflix's burgeoning bouquet of entertainment franchises that the company sees as having growth potential outside the core streaming service, with live experiences, games and merchandise. Sarandos called out 'Bridgerton', the second most-viewed Netflix original TV show, with the Season 2 set to bow in March, and 'Stranger Things', with Season 4 slated for this summer.

Previously, 'Squid Game' creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had indicated that the hit series would be returning for a Season 2.

'Squid Game' is by a long shot Netflix's biggest-ever TV show, based on the streamer's calculation that subscribers worldwide streamed 1.65 billion hours of the show in the first 28 days of its release on the platform.

In Season 1, 456 cash-strapped contestants are invited by a mysterious organisation to compete in a series of children's games with deadly consequences.

Netflix paid $21.4 million for the first season of 'Squid Game' and has estimated the series will deliver $891 million in what it calls "impact value", per confidential internal data that was leaked to Bloomberg.