Squid Game: The Challenge has been a phenomenal success for Netflix. Proudly boasting the largest grand prize in a reality series, it makes you wonder who funded Squid Game: The Challenge.
Because of its immense success, it's no longer a surprise that the reality game show is slated for a second season. Let's take a look at the financial aspect of the show and how much each episode costs.
Who Funded Squid Game: The Challenge?
So here's the most important question: who funded Squid Game: The Challenge? The answer, of course, is Netflix.
The global streaming platform decided to commission a spin-off series based on the immense success of the original Squid Game series. Netflix commissioned Studio Lambert to produce the reality show.
Speaking to the Radio Times (via The Guardian), Stephen Lambert shared that it was "a very unusual project. But to have a hugely successful drama that includes a game that could be played for real gave an almost unique opportunity for crossover. Although it throws up a lot of problems to play it for real."
The executive joked that they agreed from the start that it "wouldn't be a good idea to kill contestants." But more importantly, he revealed they had to look at a different way to depict how the eliminated contestants would be "shot," especially with the US school shootings and the global wars.
Instead of using red liquid to imitate blood, Studio Lambert decided on using black liquid so that it would not be gory.
Another thing that Lambert shared was that Netflix made sure to cast 456 players, which is, to date, the largest number of players in a reality show.
Lambert told the publication that Netflix was "clear that they wanted a large number of North Americans because, in their terms, the show really has to work there, but the series was a global phenomenon so it had to be a global opportunity in the casting."
The streamer also "absolutely insisted" that the prize money will be $4.56 million, which is roughly equivalent to $10,000 per player. Unfortunately, none of the eliminated contestants received compensation for their time on the show. But they did get some benefits from the production company.
How Much Did Each Squid Game: The Challenge Episode Cost to Make?
The total budget that Netflix had for Squid Game: The Challenge has not yet been revealed. But as CapitalFM puts it into perspective, the original series had a $21.4 million budget.
The report also showed that each episode of the reality game show cost around $1 million to film. This budget included the costumes, sets, and looking after everyone on the show.
True enough, the production company was able to achieve the same set design that the original series exuded, particularly the Marbles game. Production designer, Mathieu Weekes, shared that the setting should trap the players and viewers in the competition's volatile environment.
Weekes also told Radio Times that the Glass Bridge challenge was the toughest to replicate.
"We were really strict with the lighting levels and blacking everything out. Even the stairwell to get to the bridge was blacked out, so the contestants had no idea how far up they were, to fully tap into the fear of the unknown as they reached the 'glass' panels to cross."
With 10 episodes in total, it's possible that the show cost more than $10 million to film.
Here's Netflix's trailer for the second season of Squid Game: The Challenge and how you can join.
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