Netflix takes a page out of Mr Beast’s book with real life Squid Game

Netflix is creating a reality show based on its hit show Squid Game, much like YouTuber Mr Beast did last year.

Squid Game was Netflix’s breakout hit, as the South Korean drama became the most-watched show in the history of the streaming service. With over 1.5 billion viewing hours in the first four weeks after its premiere, Squid Game cemented itself in pop culture and has recently been officially renewed for a second season.

The incredible popularity of Squid Game has, of course, led to plenty of copycats and parodies. From Saturday Night Live to countless YouTube channels, there have been countless takes on the simple (yet gruesome) concept behind Squid Game.

Now, Netflix has announced that they too will be expanding on the Squid Game concept.

A Squid Game reality show

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has not only given the greenlight to Squid Games season 2, but also a reality show based on the games within the show. Titled Squid Game: The Challenge, the show will follow players as they compete in competitions modeled after those from the show (minus the death for losing contestants).

• Read more: EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT SQUID GAME SEASON 2

With a $4.56 million dollar prize at stake (or $10,000 for each of the 456 players competing), Squid Game: The Challenge will offer the biggest prize in reality television history, Netflix boasts.

However, several observers are pointing out that Netflix’s massive production will not be the first real-life Squid Game competition.

Mr Beast did it first

After Netflix announced the reality show, many Twitter users pointed out that YouTuber Mr Beast actually did a real-life Squid Game just last year. Accounts like The Morning Brew quickly drew that comparison while other viewers responded by calling the Netflix show an outright ripoff of Mr Beast’s idea.

Released in November 2021, when Squid Game was at its height of popularity, Mr Beast recreated every game from the show with near-perfect fidelity and no gore. The video was a smash success, with over 250 million views since it was released.

Although Netflix has raised the stakes in terms of prize money (in Mr Beast’s version, the players were only competing for $456,000) its not hard to see why some fans are calling it a copy. If the Netflix reality show doesn’t match Mr Beast’s Squid Game in terms of production value and quality, the streaming giant will open itself up to mockery.

• Read more: MrBeast teases next viral project that will be “bigger than Squid Game”

Casting for the Netflix show is now underway. No date has been set for the show’s premiere.