Spoilers for the Squid Game season 3 ending ahead. Four years after its debut, Squid Game has far outlived its original length. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk's thriller K-drama was only planned to last one season, but after the Emmy-winning phenomenon became Netflix's most-watched show ever, the powers that be at the streaming giant ensured that the Korean series would continue for two more seasons. The third and final installment arrived on June 27, 2025, but its final moments seem to imply that Squid Game as a global franchise is far from over.
After an explosive conclusion that leaves protagonist Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) dead and the Korean island facility up in flames, Squid Game season 3's final scene shows Korea's Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) making a concerning discovery. In the streets of L.A., he spies a woman (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett) in a suit playing slap-ddakji, the same game that his Recruiter (Gong Yoo) used to find competitors. Hwang has confirmed that this character is an American Recruiter, meaning that Squid Game has jumped continents and will live on in the fictional world.
An American Recruiter (Cate Blanchett) plays ddakji with a man in an L.A. alleyway.
In an interview with Tudum, Hwang described Blanchett's cameo as a "short but gripping and impactful ending to the story." However, anyone alive in the era of the Marvel end-credits scene knows that the American Recruiter will likely be back on our TV screens. Below, we're keeping track of everything we know about a possible American Squid Game spinoff.
Cate Blanchett as the American Recruiter.
Has Netflix announced 'Squid Game: USA?'
As of June 30, 2025, Netflix has not revealed whether it will release an American version of Squid Game. Following season 3's debut, sources told Variety that the streamer "has no plans to announce a Squid Game spinoff at this time," while The Hollywood Reporter wrote that season 3's ending "is not intended to set up any future stories 'at this time.'"
However, rumors of a Squid Game spinoff being in development have surfaced even before season 2 was released. In October 2024, Deadline reported that Oscar-winning filmmaker David Fincher—who worked with Blanchett on 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button—was considering an English-language scripted Squid Game series. There have been no official updates since, though What's on Netflix has reported unconfirmed rumors that the new series is "reportedly set to begin production in Los Angeles as early as December 2025."
Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) hangs from a Sky Squid Game pillar.
For what it's worth, Hwang has confirmed that the American Recruiter was not shown primarily to set up a future spinoff. Instead, the cameo was meant to show that the end of the Korean game did not mean the end of the societal problems that brought it about.
"Because this story started out with me wanting to tackle issues about the limitless competition and the system that’s created in late capitalism, I wanted to leave it on a note highlighting the fact that these systems, even if one comes down, it’s not easy to dismantle the whole system—it will always repeat itself," Hwang told The Hollywood Reporter. "That’s why I wanted to end it with an American recruiter. And I wrote that scene wanting an impactful ending for the show, not in order to open rooms for anything else."
Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun) meets Jun-hee's (Player 222) baby.
Will there be a 'Squid Game' season 4?
Though the future of the franchise may be in question, the original Korean series Squid Game is over. Both Hwang and Netflix have made clear that Squid Game will not return for season 4, since season 3 wraps up Gi-hun's story.
Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) comes face to face with the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun).
Still, there is a chance that characters like the Front Man and Gong Yoo's Recruiter could return, however. In interviews following season 2, Hwang teased that he would be interested in "filling in the gaps" of their lives during the three years between season 1 and season 2.
Following season 3's release, Hwang told The Hollywood Reporter, "If I were to do a spinoff someday, I think I would rather choose to go back and see what happened during that time gap [between seasons one and two]. But this is something that we are just tossing around, so as for when or how a spinoff might come about, it’s still up in the air."