After watching Squid Game and feeling more than a little shaken by it, I wasn’t expecting to see Squid Game: Unleashed make its debut this month. Netflix Games and Boss Fight have turned the show’s harsh competitions into wild multiplayer experiences in this new video game adaptation. Sure, there’s still some blood, but it’s of the cartoon variety. Unlike the show, where elimination meant the end, in this game, you get countless tries to master these dangerous but, thankfully, not fatal virtual versions of the original games.
From this new game to the upcoming Squid Game collaboration with Call of Duty, and even YouTuber Mr. Beast’s real-life take on Squid Game, it feels like every adaptation misses the core message of the show. But such misinterpretation isn’t novel. Just think about Battle Royale, the gripping novel from 1999, which became a worldwide gaming phenomenon, spawning titles like Fortnite and PUBG. The book painted a grim picture of a fascist regime, where children faced a brutal, theatrical kind of conscription. Yet, in games like Fortnite, the bleak message is lost, replaced by entertainment and even celebrity appearances, like Snoop Dogg.
Given this context, I shouldn’t be too surprised by games like Squid Game: Unleashed. Director Bill Jackson explained in an interview that their aim was shaped by player demands. Instead of a narrative-driven, Telltale-style game preserving the show’s social commentary and gripping storytelling, players wanted to jump straight into the competition.
“We asked Netflix’s members what games they’d like to see us create. The immediate and enthusiastic answer was Squid Game,” Jackson shared. “They wanted to experience being a contestant, playing the games, surviving when possible, and accepting brutal failures. This clarity in their desires guided us in crafting our game. We focused on giving players a chance to be contestants in a stylized version of the show.”
Squid Game: Unleashed, by its very nature as a video game, diverges from the original show. “In the game, you’re a contestant, and losing is harsh,” Jackson remarked. “But it’s a video game at the end of the day, so you can always retry.”
During our conversation, I couldn’t resist bringing up Battle Royale and its impact on gaming. Jackson highlighted the longstanding appeal of this narrative style across various media. “Think of movies like Death Race or Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. These setups have influenced countless stories, and they resonate powerfully in video games. They tap into something fundamental—competition, survival, and being knocked out if you fail.”
While this evolution might seem odd, people genuinely enjoy it. It’s not like a Netflix executive decided to strip Squid Game of its depth for a more digestible game. Everyday players themselves are eager to test themselves, curious about how they’d fare, albeit in a safe, virtual environment where they can flaunt their achievements, not their mortality.
Yet, this doesn’t mean fans overlook the show’s deeper meanings or that they’re frivolous. It’s, as Jackson suggested, about something inherent in our nature. It’s a bit unsettling, but it also explains why this kind of adaptation is flourishing. After all, this is what we’ve asked for.
