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It has been an anxious two years since the hit dystopian game show thriller Squid Game last graced our screens. You can somewhat put that longing to rest since Netflix is poised to release Squid Game: The Challenge on November 22. However, it’s more of a bittersweet fix since it’s not exactly a continuation of the series and some fans will need Squid Game: The Challenge explained thoroughly.
Is Squid Game: The Challenge Squid Game 2? Answered
Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge is sadly not Squid Game 2 or Squid Game Season 2.
Squid Game: The Challenge is actually a hybrid reality and game show based on the titular deadly game contest in the Squid Game series. It’s not a continuation of Squid Game’s fictional story. The reality game show features real-life contestants competing in children’s games in a grand set piece reminiscent of the game stages in Squid Game.
Of course, there are plenty of faithful similarities between the reality game show and the fictional Squid Game such as:
- 456 players/contestants in total.
- A monetary prize pool consisting of the numbers 4, 5, and 6, which in this case is $4.56 million (USD) as opposed to ₩45.6 billion (Korean Won) in the series.
- The same costumes for the contestants and the guards.
- A recreation of the set piece in the series.
- The same or similar game types featured in the fictional series.
Beyond that, there are also notable and significant differences.
Squid Game: The Challenge Is a Lot Safer
While the contestants in Squid Game: The Challenge will be competing for a big sum of money, they won’t be risking their lives doing so, unlike in the Squid Game series. At worst, elimination in the reality game show means being marked for elimination from the contest instead of getting outright killed.
Moreover, since there are 10 episodes in total, the game show will incorporate new games to force non-lethal contestant elimination since if you can recall, a big chunk of contestant elimination in the Squid Game series consisted of murdering one another during rest.
It’s also the Biggest Reality TV and Game Show in History
It might not be the long-awaited Squid Game Season 2 that you’ve been craving after that cliffhanger of an ending in Season 1, but Squid Game: The Challenge remains an exciting prospect on its own.
To date, it has the largest cash prize in TV game show history ($4.56 million) and the number of contestants vying for the cash prize is no small matter for logistics. All 456 contestants will be staying in the game show set for around 15 days and Netflix also claims it as the largest number of contestants in game show history.
Squid Game: The Challenge will be available on November 22 on Netflix. Meanwhile, Squid Game Season 2 still doesn’t have a set release date.
