The South Korean phenomenon 'Squid Game' (The Squid Game in Spanish), a Netflix series, is far from extinct. Although its third season will be the last of the original series, its universe could continue to expand. This was hinted at by creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who revealed in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that there is a real “possibility” of developing a spin-off.

“I can’t predict right now when or how it will happen,” Hwang confessed during the season 3 premiere on June 18 at the Plaza Hotel in New York. “But there is a possibility.”

The long-awaited third season

The statement comes just as fans are gearing up for the highly anticipated return of the series, whose third and final installment will premiere on Netflix on June 27.

This new season promises to pick up the story right where the second season left off: with Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), also known as Player 456, dealing with the fallout from a failed attempt at rebellion against the organizers of the sadistic game.

At the end of the second season, viewers watched as the rebellion collapsed, the sinister Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) was revealed as the Leader, and player Park Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) was brutally murdered in front of Gi-hun. These events will set the dark and desperate tone for the new season to kick off.

Netflix’s official synopsis describes this installment as the ultimate confrontation between Gi-hun and the Leader: “The third and final season of Squid Game follows Gi-hun after he loses his best friend in the game and is driven to total despair by The Front Man, who was hiding his true identity to infiltrate the game.”

Gi-hun will remain steadfast in his quest to destroy the competition as the Leader launches his next move and the surviving players’ decisions become increasingly deadly.

The official trailer, unveiled during Netflix’s Tudum 2025 event, teases scenes fraught with tension and violence,including a chilling round of deadly jump rope.

In one of the most intense moments of the preview, Gi-hun desperately screams, "Why didn't you kill me? Why did you let me live?" as he is held by guards. At the end of the video, he is seen face to face with the Leader, who asks him a disturbing question: "Player 456, do you still have faith in people?"

The possible spin-off, about which details or official confirmation are still unknown, leaves the door open to new stories within the twisted universe created by Hwang, who has managed to combine social criticism with psychological thriller in a formula that captivated the entire world since its premiere in 2021.

For now, fans are preparing to say goodbye to the main story, but not necessarily to the world of Squid Game. Season 3 premieres June 27 on Netflix.