Netflix Announces Premiere Window for Squid Game Reality Show

Are you up for The Challenge? Netflix has announced a fall release date for Squid Game: The Challenge, the streamer’s controversial reality competition series inspired by the hit scripted South Korean series Squid Game. During Netflix’s upfront presentation on Wednesday, vice president of unscripted and documentary series Brandon Riegg revealed the 10-episode Challenge will premiere in November. Netflix officially ordered the series last June, touting the life-changing reward of $4.56 million — the largest cast and lump sum cash prize in reality TV history. 

“Later this year we’ll also debut our most ambitious competition series ever. Squid Game: The Challenge has 456 real players competing for $4.56 million — the largest lump sum cash prize in the history of reality television,” Riegg said during the presentation.

Netflix describes the competition series: “Players will be put to the test in a series of games inspired by theshow, along with some surprising new additions that will push them totheir limits. Strategy, alliances and character are crucial in order tosurvive the tension. The stakes are high, but thankfully, in this game,the worst fate anyone will face is going home empty-handed.” 

“Squid Game took the world by storm with director Hwang [Dong-hyuk]’s captivating story and iconic imagery,” Riegg said when announcing The Challenge last summer. “We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment.”

Featuring a cast that includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-jun, Oh Young-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Heo Sung-tae, Kim Joo-ryoung, Tripathi Anupam, You Seong-joo, and Lee You-mi, Squid Game sees hundreds ofcash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete inchildren’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly highstakes. Along with The Challenge, Netflix announced last year that Squid Game season 2 is officially in development and expected to release by late 2024.

“There’s definitely a lot of pressure on how to make [Season 2] evenbetter,” executive producer Kim Ji-yeon told Netflix’s Tudum of the upcoming second season of the dystopian K-drama. “I know that a lot of the different fans and audiences haveenjoyed the series very much, but really we’re focusing on how to makeit even more joyful to the global audience.”

Squid Game: The Challenge is streaming November 2023 on Netflix. An exact premiere date will be announced at a later date.