Last Friday, the trailer for a new spin on a fan-favorite dystopia went live. Squid Game: The Challenge is a reality competition show featuring 456 people competing for a chance to outlast them all and win $4.56 million in cash. The contest begins on November 22, though whether the competition will debut in its entirety at the start of the games is still up for debate.
Netflix has been considering releasing episodes in batches, according to Deadline, which said the streaming giant is “giving serious consideration to holding back some episodes for a later release date.”
Breaking up seasons into bite-sized bunches isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The platform previously released other reality shows following a traditional broadcast television schedule. Shows like Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and Physical: 100 broke the Netflix formula of bombarding audiences with perfectly bingeable full seasons by releasing episodes in batches.
Releasing Squid Game: The Challenge in parts could help drive up the tension as the cutthroat series heats up throughout the competition. Netflix is known for dispersing entire seasons at once, and not all fans are thrilled with the extended-release format. Still, Netflix subscriber numbers continue to climb this year, and with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes winding down, the platform could use this strategy to extend its reality-based programming until Hollywood productions start up again.
Netflix is advertising the competition as the biggest cash prize in reality show history. Making a significant change to the streaming service’s standard formula is another attention-grabbing way to steer audiences towards the upcoming show.
Based on the Korean series Squid Game, Netflix said the reality version “isn’t a matter of life or death,” though a recent safety investigation suggests it might not be too far off from the dangers showcased in the first season. A handful of contestants needed medical attention on the first day of filming while recreating the game ‘Red Light, Green Light’ after a cold front hit Cardington Studios in Britain. The contestants suffered a torn knee tendon, a herniated disc, pneumonia, and an ear infection, according to The Rolling Stone.
Netflix wasn’t immediately available to confirm Squid Game: The Challenge schedule.