Following its meteoric rise to the top of Netflix’s charts, the streaming service is reportedly considering developing a video game based on Squid Game. Netflix has already stated its intention to enter the gaming industry, so a Squid Game video game is likely to rise to the top of the company’s priority list as it seeks to establish itself as a worthy game developer/publisher.
Netflix announced earlier this year that it would begin producing video games, presumably with mobile titles. All games will be added to the service for free, but no titles have been announced. It’s unclear whether Netflix will add third-party games. Still, the company has already started working on first-party titles with the recently acquired Night School Studio, the developer behind Oxenfree.
Given how early this is, it’ll be a while before Netflix makes any significant inroads into the gaming industry, but it certainly has the IP to compete with the likes of Xbox and PlayStation.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix’s VP of content for Asia-Pacific, Minyoung Kim, stated that the company plans to expand on the Squid Game IP significantly. Netflix is “considering” developing a Squid Game video game, but nothing has been decided as of yet.
Squid Game has already been incorporated into games such as GTA Online and Animal Crossing, indicating that there is clearly a demand for a playable version of the beloved series. However, given how long it takes to develop games, it is possible that the show will be several seasons before an official video game is released.
Although Netflix’s gaming plans are limited, fans can anticipate a Squid Game mobile title in the near future. It remains to be seen whether a proper AAA console game for the IP will ever be released, but it appears to be something that would do well in the current battle royale/party games zeitgeist. Squid Game has already been compared to Fall Guys, so perhaps some crossover DLC will emerge as a result of the fanfare.
Nonetheless, a Squid Game appears to be unavoidable. Netflix has already produced games based on Stranger Things and Narcos, albeit on a shoestring budget. There’s also the possibility that the streamer will use the experimental choose your adventure format that is used for Black Mirror to tell a spin-off story within the Squid Game universe.
