In July last year, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk (director, writer and executive producer) shared a statement about his plans for the follow-up seasons of the popular Korean Netflix series, and that he intended to end it with Season 3 (currently streaming on the platform).

It seems he is standing firm on his decision to end it with Season 3 and not take it anywhere — at least not in the Korean language — considering the climactic events shown in the finale, Episode 6, of Season 3. Naturally, this article will contain spoilers.

In an interaction with Netflix, Hwang shared that the original intention was not to have Lee Jung-jae’s main character sacrifice his own life in the pursuit of a noble purpose. However, he felt the need to make some changes to arrive at an ending that offered the necessary closures for Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).

“I need to wrap up Gi-hun’s journey and convey a message to the audience right now. The message I wanted to communicate was that if we solely pursue our immediate self-interest, and refuse to self-restrain, sacrifice, or bear any costs, and if we don’t put our heads together, we have no future,” said Hwang.

Season 3 also revealed a surprise cameo in the form of an American character called The Recruiter, played by Cate Blanchett. The acclaimed Hollywood actress’s appearance seems to hint at the next direction the franchise will take — the American spin-off titled Squid Game: Americahelmed by David Fincher (“Mindhunter”, “The Social Network”), which is reportedly going to commence filming in December.