Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained the meaning behind the series' wild and emotional ending. The hit Netflix series' final season ended with many twists and turns, with Player 456 being pushed to the limit, which led to a bold choice that will be talked about for years to come. After Season 2 ended with Gi-hun's failed attempt to lead a player rebellion, it is all but certain that Season 3 will serve as a punishment for him as he is forced back to play the games and witness the deaths of the other players closest to him.
Ultimately, the players die one by one, with Gi-hun himself not being spared after he decides to sacrifice himself and save Jun-hee's baby from certain doom. Player 456's actions meant that the baby (who became Player 222 after her mother died) is the sole winner of the 45.6 billion won grand prize.
Squid Game Season 3 ended on a high note, but it led to a divisive reaction from viewers after it only received a 50% audience score from Rotten Tomatoes. This is on top of the various mixed reactions on social media. Despite that, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had a sensible explanation for why the series ended like that.
Why Did Squid Game Season 3 End On A Devastating Note?
Speaking with Netflix's TUDUM, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk talked about crafting the show's ending and how it affected his mindset about his own life, noting that viewers should find "a glimpse of hope within ourselves" amid the dark and twisted ways the world can get to us:
"I eventually came to believe that, no matter how hopeless and dark the world may seem, perhaps we still have a chance if we can find even a glimpse of hope within ourselves. Rather than seeking something from or in others, I hope we can reflect on our own values and whether we have faith in ourselves, so we can build on the good within us. That’s the takeaway I hope viewers will have after watching Season 3."
After Gi-hun's death and the island seemingly being blown up to avoid evidence, the Front Man (who appeared to have been affected by Player 456's sacrifice and speech about humanity) appeared to have a change of heart regarding his perspective on humanity and life. First, he discreetly delivered the baby to his brother, Jun-ho, alongside an ATM card holding the grand prize (aka the baby's earnings). By doing this, he ensured the baby's safety and bright future.
He also honored Gi-hun's memory by making an effort to go to Los Angeles, California, and personally deliver his belongings and the remaining amount of his grand prize to his estranged daughter.
Squid Game Season 3's final scene showed the Front Man looking over the U.S. recruiter (played by award-winning actress Cate Blanchett) playing ddakji to lure a bystander into playing the deadly games.
In the same interview with TUDUM, Lee Byung-hun shared the dark meaning of the show's final scene, saying that it meant that "the world still continues as it was before:"
"I thought it was an incredible ending that no one could predict. Despite all the noble efforts of so many people, the world still continues as it was before."
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk also spoke with The Hollywood Reporter (THR) to talk about "raising the stakes and taking a bigger risk" in the final season.
"Since it is the finale, I thought that raising the stakes and taking a bigger risk in true 'Squid Game' fashion was the right way to go. Through that, I wanted to expose to an even more accurate degree the rock-bottom of humanity and also shed light on even brighter hope.
Cate Blanchett's cameo in the final scene appeared to set up a Squid Game spinoff based in Los Angeles. The ending also teased multiple potential follow-ups for the franchise, such as Kang No-eul's (the triangle guard) quest to find her missing child and Jun-ho's new life with the baby.
However, Dong-hyuk told THR that the story (Korea's side at least) "ended in a manner where it doesn't need a further story to be told:"
"I think the story ended in a manner where it doesn’t need a further story to be told. So I am not too interested in telling a story that continues on from the conclusion."
If given the chance to do a spinoff someday, the creator said that he would like to explore the events that took place between Seasons 1 and 2:
"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."
Despite the sad truth that the games will continue (and seemingly around the world), Lee Byung-hun spoke with The Wrap to describe the ending as "a beginning" while mentioning that he was "personally happy with how it ended:"
"Usually, when you read through a script, by the time you get to the last episode, you know how it’s going to end. But when I read it in ‘Squid Game,’ I was shocked. I was surprised to read an ending that I think no one out there probably could expect or predict. I am personally happy with how it ended. On the other hand, I feel like it’s so nuanced that it almost feels like it’s also a beginning."
As for what's next for the Front Man, Byung-hun believed that he's changed because "Gi-hun influenced" the character after seeing Player 456's sacrifice, believing that "something inside him sparked, maybe the last sliver of humanity:"
"I believe that Gi-hun influenced the Front Man, and the Front Man influenced Gi-hun too. What I wanted to portray through his character development was that I wanted Front Man to almost seem like something inside him sparked, maybe the last sliver of humanity that was somehow hidden deep inside him. Something about [Gi-hun’s refusal to kill] shook him up. After the series is over, I wanted the audience to think maybe the Front Man will now live on with a new or different set of values."
The confirmation that the Front Man changed is good since it offers hope that he will be more sympathetic in the future. Hopefully, he could be the advocate for change, given that he has more of a fighting chance to do so due to his being inside the system already.
Squid Game Season 3 brings back most of its core cast from Season 2, led by Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Kang Ha-eul, Yim Si-wan, Jo Yuri, Wi Ha-jun, and Park Gyu-young. The final season premiered on Netflix on June 27, 2025.
Why Squid Game Season 3's Ending Makes Sense
Despite his noble efforts and strong desire to achieve his goal, Player 456's (Seong Gi-hun) desire to end the games is a lost cause because of the systemic nature of what he's up against, which is anchored by greed and inequality. While Gi-hun tried alongside some of his allies, there is no denying that it would take a village to bring down an unstoppable force like capitalism.
Still, Player 456's final speech before killing himself made him a hero in Squid Game because it awakened the remaining speck of humanity within the Front Man. Given the Front Man's role in the grand scheme of things of the Squid Game in Korea, his change is crucial because he could deliver change (whether small or big) in future iterations of the games.
Squid Game's ending also challenged the idea that not everyone in this world is selfish because Gi-hun proved that he would choose to save a life even if a heavy stash of cash was already right in front of him. Gi-hun's selfless act is a reminder that there are still good people in the world, which directly challenges the notion that there is no more hope for humanity.
