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Squid Game creator reveals that devastating finale moment wasn’t in the original plan – and why it had to happen [spoiler]
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Squid Game creator originally wanted a far more uplifting ending but it was “more fitting” to end on a sad note with a “powerful message” instead
Bradley Russell
3 July 2025
The Squid Game ending could have been very different
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(Image credit: Netflix)
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has revealed his early thoughts for the show’s ending, and why he ultimately decided to go in a different, far bleaker direction.
In the Squid Game season 3 ending, Gi-hun sacrifices himself to save Player 222’s baby. Meanwhile, the arrival of the coastguard and Jun-ho leads In-ho (AKA, the Front Man) to destroy the island and end the games for good).
Six months later, In-ho drops the baby off at Jun-ho’s apartment, complete with the 45.6 billion won prize money. He then heads to America to inform Gi-hun’s daughter of his death. While there, he spots a ddakji player (played by Cate Blanchett) and exchanges glances with them. The games, it seems, go on.
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Squid Game creator reveals that devastating finale moment wasn’t in the original plan – and why it had to happen [spoiler]
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According to Hwang he originally felt Squid Game should draw to a close in a more uplifting fashion.
“I don’t know if I can call it an original ending, but in the beginning I had a vague idea about how I would end the story. And back then, it was having Gi-hun end the game, in one way or another, and leave alive and go see his daughter in America,” Hwang told The Hollywood Reporter.
Hwang added, “So originally, I thought the person who witnesses the American recruiter woman would be Gi-hun. But as I began writing the story, and as I began to think more and more about, ‘What do I want to deliver with the ending of this story?’ And also, ‘What should Gi-hun’s journey and what should his destination be?’ I was witnessing more and more what was happening around the world and I thought it was more fitting for Gi-hun to send this powerful and impactful message to the world and that should be how the story comes to a close.”
The Squid Game creator also confirmed that Blanchett’s presence in the finale isn’t a set up for any spin-off, whether it’s the David Fincher-led English-language show or anything else.
“I wrote that scene wanting an impactful ending for the show, not in order to open rooms for anything else,” Hwang said.
Despite Squid Game season 3 proving divisive, it quickly became Netflix’s most-viewed premiere, with 60 million views across its first three days.
Need to fill the Squid Game-shaped hole in your life? These are the best Netflix shows to watch right now.
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Bradley Russell
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I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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Squid Game creator reveals that devastating finale moment wasn’t in the original plan – and why it had to happen [spoiler]
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk is still wondering if the season 3 ending is “good or not,” but star Lee Jung-jae calls it the most “entertaining ending possible”
Netflix has spoiled the final scene of Squid Game season 3 just three days after release
Squid Game creator gets candid about the likelihood of Netflix spin-off show
The Squid Game season 3 finale is a crushing but ultimately hopeful conclusion – and I wouldn’t have it any other way
Squid Game season 3 ending explained: who dies, what are the games and do they end, and what happens to Player 456 and the Front Man
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