Why Hwang Dong-hyuk’s ‘Squid Game’ Will Remain A Netflix Record-Breaker

Squid Game creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has not only proven himself to be a genius writer and director, but he’s also mastered the art of knowing when to leave the game, which is when you’re on top.

Squid Game has taken the world by storm, with nearly 600 million views across the first two seasons alone ahead of season three’s launch. The highly anticipated third and final season quickly nabbed the No. 1 spot in all 93 countries where the streamer has Top 10 lists, marking the first time a show has ever achieved this in its debut week. The three-season series is a record-setter and history-maker.

The third and final season shot straight to the top of the Netflix Global Top 10, claiming the No. 1 spot this week and breaking into the Most Popular Non-English TV List at No. 9 with a stunning 60.1 million views in its first three days of viewing, breaking the record for most views for a show within that time period.

Seasons one and two also made the Netflix Global Top 10 this week, with season two landing in the No. 3 spot with 2.8 million views, and season one landed at No. 6 with 1.7 million views on the TV (Non-English) list. The enormous success of the first two seasons has made this the only show ever to make the Most Popular List in its first week.

The series also took over social media with season three making the most social impressions of all three seasons at this point in its campaign with 4.56 billion impressions to date across Netflix’s global social channels, marking the highest ever for a Netflix social campaign.

Overall, Korean culture has grabbed the attention of viewers with season three of Squid Game as Netflix’s No. 1 television show, while the No. 1 movie on the English Film list this week, K-Pop Demon Hunters, was inspired by the K-wave.

Other Korean titles on Netflix that are grabbing viewers include When Life Gives You Tangerines, Physical 100, and All of Us Are Dead. Korean content has become a defining force in entertainment and on Netflix, with over 80% of Netflix members globally having watched K-content.

Fans welcomed Lee Jung-jae’s return as Player 456, and critics praised his performance as viewership numbers solidified Dong-hyuk’s massively popular Korean drama as the world’s biggest TV show. Squid Game is credited with catapulting Korean content into the mainstream.

Oh, how I wish my father, a U.S. Marine who fought in the Korean War, could have lived to see the success of Korean content. He loved the culture and the people he met while he was there and often lamented that the Korean War was the Forgotten War. He would’ve been a Squid Game fan for sure.

Dong-hyuk has truly captivated the world with his creation of this universe and the game at its core, which revolves around wit, control, and power. While most successful TV series keep going as long as viewers continue watching, he decided that the third season would be the last.

He recognized the importance of knowing when to say goodbye. It’s like the wise lyrics from Kenny Rogers’ song “The Gambler” about knowing when to hold ‘em and knowing when to fold ’em. Rogers was referring to one’s hand in poker and the overarching message about knowing when to exit any given situation. It’s one of the most important life strategies.

In regards to Squid Game, Dong-hyuk knew when and how to end the game and as the smartest player knows, the best time is when everyone is begging you to keep playing.