Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk receives no royalties despite series earning Netflix $900 million

Good golly gosh it's almost two whole years since Squid Game was first released and it's amazing how quickly time flies by.

Fans of the South Korean show which saw people compete in a series of deadly games in the hopes of winning a massive amount of money will be happy to know the second season is coming next year.

Leading star Lee Jung-jae will of course be making a comeback as Seong Gi-hun, the winner of Squid Game the first time around who ends season one by making the major decision to return to the game.

Lee Byung-hun (Front Man) and Wi Ha-jun (Detective Hwang Jun-ho) are also set to return so we could see more of the drama between the brothers as one is running the deadly games and the other attempting to expose them.

Gong Yoo (The Recruiter) is also back for season two and they'll be joined by new faces Yim Si-wan, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul and Yang Don-guen, though fans have pointed out there's a distinct lack of women among the cast.

The irony is not lost on us. Pay your writers. #1u #WGAstrong https://t.co/oaRFGylbN1

— Writers Guild of America, East (@WGAEast) June 28, 2023

The Los Angeles Times recently reported that the runway success of Squid Game was a massive boon to Netflix to the tune of about $900 million but the show's creator didn't see much of that success.

They reported that Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had seen his idea for a TV show turned down 10 years before Netflix picked it up and it turned into the streaming success story of 2021.

However, while the deal he made with Netflix was 'enough to put food on the table' for the series creator he doesn't get royalties from it, along with forfeiting all rights to Squid Game as an intellectual property.

Despite the runaway success of the first season of Squid Game he didn't get any extra money in the wake of that achievement.

Fortunately, Hwang said he'd secured a 'good deal' for season two of his hit show and was looking at 'alternative solutions' to the matter of royalties and ownership of the intellectual property.

He supported a bill that would legally mandate payments of residuals to creators, speaking to South Korea's National Assembly.

He said: "I ask you to look beyond the short term and approach this as a step toward nurturing the entire ecosystem.

"In order for there to be the next Squid Game or the next Parasite, the livelihoods of creators must be ensured."

The LA Times also delved deeper into the problem with working conditions on South Korean productions, reporting that workers in the entertainment industry were suffering from low pay and punishingly long hours.

They reported that Netflix had invested heavily in the field since Squid Game proved to be a big hit, but that the people making the shows are sometimes having to work 100 hour weeks in an industry that was 'doing a lot with very little'.

UNILAD have contacted Netflix for comment.