While Squid
Game season 3 was always on the cards, Netflix had only confirmed that it was scheduled to be released in 2025 on an unknown date. Fortunately, season 3's release date has finally been confirmed, which is surprising because it almost qualifies it as the second part of season 2. Although the show's third installment is being marketed as a third season, it would have made sense if Netflix had touted it as an extension of season 2.Squid Game Season 3 Is Narratively More Like "Season 2, Part 2" Than A Whole New Season
It Does Not Exactly Mark The Beginning Of A New Arc For Gi-hun
Although Squid Game season 1 featured a cliffhanger in its final moments, where Gi-hun decided to wage war against the game's creators, it ended on a fairly well-rounded note. By walking through Gi-hun's entire journey in the games and highlighting how he earns a massive sum but loses everything else along the way, Squid Game season 1 did a commendable job closing one whole arc in the main character's story. Most of Squid Game season 1's main characters also died towards the end, which gave the season a sense of finality, reinforcing the brutal nature of the titular games.
What Happened To Gi-Hun After Squid Game Season 2's Abrupt Ending
Squid Game season 2, however, took a significantly different approach. Many of its main characters are still alive and will show up in season 3. Even Gi-hun's story ends abruptly in season 2's final moments, where he fails to stop the games and even loses his friend, Jung-bae. Since Squid Game season 3 will begin exactly where season 2 ends and will likely continue the games, it narratively comes off as a part 2 of Squid Game season 2 rather than a fresh season.
Squid Game Season 3's Release Date Is Further Proof That It's Basically Season 2's Second Part
There Is Only A Six-Month Gap Between Seasons 2 & 3
As an official image from Squid Game season 3 confirms, it is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2025. This hardly leaves a six-month gap between seasons 2 and 3, which is significantly less compared to the three-year interval between seasons 1 and 2. The long wait for Squid Game season 2 after season 1's end in 2021 made it easy to believe that season 2 was marking the inception of a whole new story in the show's overarching narrative. It gave audiences enough time to process the events of season 1 and endlessly speculate how the next arc would unfold.
With only six months between seasons 2 and 3, the third installment is hitting the ground running, diving right into all the unresolved story beats from its predecessor. The rapid turnaround proves it serves more as season 2's second part than a full-fledged season 3. Squid Game season 2 also has only seven episodes, which again makes it look like the first part of a larger, multi-layered narrative. This raises many questions about why Netflix decided to call it season 3 instead of promoting it as an extension of season 2.
Squid Game Season 3 Signals A Potential Netflix Strategy Change
The Streamer Might Take A Similar Approach With Other Shows
The final seasons of many Netflix shows, like Cobra Kai, have often been split into multiple installments, gradually released over one or two years. Owing to this, it is surprising that, despite releasing Squid Game season 3 six months after season 2, the streamer is not calling it season 2's part 2. This change in strategy suggests Netflix is evolving its approach. While the exact reason behind this is unknown, it seems likely that Netflix is doing this to raise more excitement surrounding Squid Game season 3.
After season 2's ending, viewers would still have been hyped for the next installment if it was labeled as season 2's part 2. However, the "season 3" tag promises that the show's final installment will etch its own identity by following a more independent narrative path instead of merely riffing on the storyline set up by season 2. Since a one-year gap is usually expected between two subsequent seasons of a show, touting Squid Game's upcoming installment as season 3 also helps reduce the perception of time passed since season 2's release.