Los Gatos, California - Few have doubted that Netflix would seize the opportunity to continue its massively successful Squid Game series with a second season. And yet, the streaming giant has taken until now to confirm that the gory fan fav has been renewed.

After the violent rat race thriller racked up millions of views amid massive hype in late 2021, director Hwang Dong Hyuk first raised hopes in November that Netflix's biggest show ever would be getting another season.

But only now has the streaming giant commented on whether fans would see more of the South Korean social commentary, following an open-ended first season.

Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of streaming provider Netflix, confirmed in a conference call on Thursday that Squid Game will be continued.

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"The Squid Game universe has just begun," Sarandos said per Variety, hinting that the show may even continue beyond a second season.

With its brutal story of people killing each other in a contest for cash, frequently read as a metaphor for social inequality, Squid Game is Netflix's biggest hit to date.

The series was watched in 142 million homes in the first four weeks after its launch in the second half of 2021, outperforming other Netflix hits like Bridgerton and Stranger Things.

Sarandos said that the success of the format was due to the Korean team: "They tried to find all the elements of Korean cinema and drama and build them in a way that took the production value to a new level."

He said the world had been curious about "K-drama" before, but it was the easy accessibility through streaming that brought it mainstream success.

Back in November, when the show's South Korean director was asked about a second season, he told the AP news agency: "I almost feel like you leave us no choice. There’s been so much pressure, so much demand and so much love for a second season."

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Hwang said the second season was in the planning stages, but that it was too early to give a date.

In the first season's nine episodes, the show tells the story of around 500 people who have fallen into debt. They compete against each other in children's games to win millions in prize money. Anyone who loses, dies.

The show has been emulated in real-life game events around the world, which has proved injury-inducing and sometimes humiliating for fans who have attempted the stunts.