Squid Game Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix: 'The Squid Game Universe Has Just Begun'

Netflix

Let the games begin… again.

Netflix's hit series Squid Game is officially returning for season 2, Variety reported on Thursday.

Ted Sarandos, the streaming giant's Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer, announced the return of the Korean survival thriller during Netflix's fourth-quarter 2021 earnings interview.

When asked if the series would be returning for another season, Sarandos said, "Absolutely. The Squid Game universe has just begun."

A rep for Netflix did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The announcement probably isn't too surprising for fans of the series based on statistics alone. Season 2 has been expected since Squid Game became the most-streamed Netflix series to date in October with over 111 million viewers. That skyrocketed Squid Game past the previously most-watched series, Bridgerton, which fell behind by a whopping 29 million viewers.

Squid Game season 1 even ranked in Netflix's Top 10 in all 94 countries that have the rating system.

RELATED: Should Kids Watch Squid Game? Experts Say No – But Here's How to Approach It If It's 'Too Late'

Noh Juhan/Netflix Squid Game

The show's creator also hadn't shied away from conversations about the potential for upcoming seasons. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk shared his plans for season 2 of Squid Game in a translated conversation with The Associated Press.

"So there's been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season. So I almost feel like you leave us no choice!" he said. "But I will say there will indeed be a second season. It's in my head right now. I'm in the planning process currently. But I do think it's too early to say when and how that's going to happen."

He also teased the plot of the Korean drama series. Dong-hyuk focused on the future of winner Gi-hun.

RELATED: Squid Game Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk Confirms Plans for Season 2: 'You Leave Us No Choice!'

"If there were to be a season 2, in the first season that we saw Gi-hun is a character whose humanity is shown through or exposed in certain situations," he shared with Entertainment Weekly. "In other words, his humanity is shown through a very passive manner. But I would think that in the second season, what he has learned from the games and his experience in the first season, they will all be put to use in a more active manner."

The creator and director also confirmed to The Korea Times last month that he was in conversation with Netflix about seasons 2 and 3. "I'm in talks with Netflix over season two as well as season three," he said. "We will come to a conclusion any time soon."

The plot follows a group of financially insecure Korean men and women who compete in the dangerous Squid Game in order to win a giant piggy bank full of money. Through each level of the games, some advance and others are killed. The sometimes-brutal thriller focuses on monetary inequality and how humanity can crumble (or persevere) when there's money to be won.