Netflix’s Squid Game, a series about people risking their lives and sometimes killing one another on television in order to pay off their crippling debts, is becoming an actual game show.
Though Netflix only just announced that Squid Game will return for a second season, today the streamer shared its plans to expand the Battle Royale-esque franchise with a real-world game show inspired by the fictional competition at the center of the original series. Like Squid Game, Squid Game: The Challenge (not to be confused with MTV’s The Challenge) will pit 456 players from across the globe against one another as they fight for a $4.56 million prize that only one participant can ultimately claim.
Though Netflix has released a promotional video featuring scenes from the fictional Squid Game, it has not yet specified what sorts of obstacles Squid Game: The Challenge will throw at contestants. In a public statement about the new game show, Netflix vice president of unscripted and documentary series Brandon Riegg sang Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s praises and cited the series’ worldwide success as some of the reasoning behind Netflix’s decision to turn it into a show the public can participate in.
“We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment,” said Riegg. “Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest ever cash prize at the end.”
While the original Squid Game is a Korean series, Netflix is searching specifically for English speakers from anywhere in the world for the new show, per the official recruitment website. Applications to be on Squid Game: The Challenge are now open, and may the odds be ever in your favor — or however the saying goes.
