A deep dive into Squid Game Season 3’s story, reactions, global production, spin-offs, critical reception, and what it sets up for Season 4.
Blog Post
The Squid Game Effect: What Its Global Storytelling Strategy Reveals About the Future of Immersive Business
Photo Credit: Squid Games, Netflix
Season 3 of Squid Game culminated in a violent, ambitious, and unsettling finale, marking the end of one of streaming history's most debated series. While critics focused on who won and viewers on who deserved to win, executives observed a content system meticulously unfold.
Netflix and the creators of Squid Game developed a global framework, not merely a single story. Each episode formed part of a larger infrastructure that encompassed localised dubbing, fan-generated content, AI-powered personalisation, real-world attractions, and spin-off ventures. What originated as a Korean survival drama has since evolved into a sophisticated, multi-layered business engine.
Squid Game serves as a compelling case study, demonstrating how immersive experiences can be developed and maintained across diverse formats, audiences, and regions. For business leaders, marketers, and digital architects, this series offers more than mere entertainment; it reveals a replicable system.
Serialisation as Strategy: A Content Model for the Long Game
Season 3 avoided rehashing previous concepts. Instead, it adopted a structure that introduced fresh themes and character arcs while preserving the core logic. This approach allowed for evolution without losing continuity. The series never felt repetitive, yet its underlying framework remained consistent, helping audiences stay engaged and avoid confusion.In business, this mirrors effective content strategies. Every update, release, or campaign operates within a unified framework. The visual identity, tone, product progression, and storytelling rhythm stay consistent, even as specific details change. Teams that adopt this method cultivate long-term trust. Audiences know how to interact, and the system offers room for ongoing iteration.
This principle extends to internal learning systems, public brand narratives, customer onboarding, and community development initiatives. When users grasp the system's overall form, they are more inclined to return. When content develops within a familiar rhythm, its performance endures longer.
Global Production, Local Connection
Season 3 of the show utilised a distributed production model, with Korean showrunners collaborating with Australian post-production teams. New York-based advisors assisted in developing legal terms for a potential American spin-off. To optimise streaming, localisation experts across Europe and Southeast Asia were engaged, with each layer addressing specific market needs.This highlights that global production now necessitates flexible pipelines. Businesses relying on centralised systems frequently lose momentum when entering new markets. A distributed model, conversely, empowers local teams to contribute their expertise while ensuring brand consistency. Language, timing, pacing, and even actor delivery were customised for each region.
Story-First Franchising: From Screen to Immersive Environments
Squid Game has transcended the screen, expanding into various immersive experiences. Netflix has launched physical installations, and Holovis is developing live interactive experiences. Game shows, mobile apps, merchandise collaborations, and theme park negotiations are all underway, unified by a strong central narrative.This multi-format adaptability, rooted in robust internal logic, offers a valuable model for businesses. A customer onboarding process could transform into a live training experience, a data report into an engaging campaign, or a member portal into a dynamic event hub. The unifying element is a coherent story logic that binds each format.
AI Meets Authenticity: Scaling Personalised Localisation
Season 3 introduced AI-powered dubbing tools that revolutionised voice-overs. The system allowed for voice modulation, preserving emotional tone, timing, cadence, and regional expression, resulting in dubbed versions that sounded closer to human intent rather than flat, mismatched voiceovers.This advancement has significant implications for businesses leveraging automation to connect with broader audiences. AI systems are increasingly used for onboarding tutorials, sales interactions, chat support, and knowledge delivery. Poorly localised systems can sound robotic, causing audiences to disengage. In contrast, effective systems maintain audience attention through voice alignment, emotional cues, and adaptive language structures.
Endings That Spark Spin-Offs: Designing for Continuity
Squid Game Season 3 concluded with an open-ended narrative, intentionally leaving key character developments, environments, and new figures unexplained. This structure was designed to invite speculation and maintain narrative control, rather than provide resolution.This storytelling technique fosters audience engagement by creating a continuous loop. Viewers are conditioned to anticipate future content, ensuring their attention remains even during pauses. This strategy can be applied across various business contexts: a product's end-of-life can hint at upcoming features, a platform redesign can encourage early exploration, and a training program can conclude with unresolved challenges instead of a definitive completion.
Platform as Stage, Audience as Co-Creators
The global phenomenon of Squid Game extends beyond traditional marketing. Viewers actively contribute to its virality by developing theories, analysing episodes, and generating memes, reviews, and timelines. These organic reactions fuel the platform, attract new users, and amplify its momentum.This mirrors the dynamics of modern business systems. Audiences actively participate in shaping brand narratives through feedback, tutorials, peer-to-peer advice, and content extensions. This community engagement directly enhances platform value, a principle applicable to digital products, enterprise systems, and customer-facing portals alike.
Final Thought: Business Lessons from a Death Game
Squid Game is a masterclass in system-led storytelling, demonstrating how precise construction, rhythmic pacing, and strategic distribution combine to create a globally resonant phenomenon. Far from mere entertainment, it functions as an infrastructure, with each interaction meticulously structured and every layer supporting the next.More than just a show, this meticulous design creates an immersive world that captivates audiences and scales its impact. Squid Game offers a powerful lesson for business leaders: a brand can become an all-encompassing environment through content systems, global pipelines, immersive interfaces, adaptive AI, and audience-driven tools. The series powerfully illustrates that thoughtful structure, rather than fleeting spectacle, is the true source of control and enduring influence.
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We build systems that grow. Platforms that adapt. Stories that move with your audience. If you are designing for scale, immersive connection, or international reach, we can help build the structure to support it.Contact us now and let’s build something that lasts.
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