'Squid Game' Slot Machine Licensing Reveal Marks Netflix's First Gambling Deal
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Casino game maker Light & Wonder on Friday revealed a new slot machine based on Netflix’s most popular series, “Squid Game.” It’s a consumer products licensing collaboration between Netflix and Light & Wonder, as the streaming giant has done in the past with fashion and toys — but it also marks Netflix’s first foray into licensing its content for use in the gambling industry.
The game incorporates some of the challenges the characters faced in the 2021 series, allowing players to take part in “Red Light, Green Light,” “Tug of War” and the “The Glass Tile” on a jumbo 75-inch screen.
“Light & Wonder is proud to be the first slots gaming company in the industry to partner with Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ and bring this groundbreaking show to life across multiple casino gaming platforms,” Light & Wonder CEO Matt Wilson said in a statement, noting that it’s one of multiple cross-platform games the company has produced. “We’ve seen how combining fan-favorite shows with immersive gameplay can resonate with audiences both digitally and on casino floors.”
The game was unveiled at the Global Gaming Expo, a gambling trade show underway in Las Vegas. No details on the financial arrangements for using the IP were revealed.
In July, Light & Wonder inked an expansion of a previous multiyear global licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, also without revealing financial details. That pact will see titles based on the company’s vast library, like “Willy Wonka, The World of Wonka” and “the Wizard of Oz, Road to Emerald City,” appear on casino floors around the world.
The “Squid Game” release comes as Netflix tees up Season 2 of the Emmy-winning series. In June, it announced that Lee Jung-jae — who took home the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work as Seong Gi-hun in the debut season — will return, along with Lee Byung-hun as Front Man, Hwang Jun-ho as Wi Ha-jun and Gong Yoo as The Salesman.
No date for the premiere of Season 2 has been announced, but Netflix last month unveiled “Squid Game: The Challenge,” a reality show that will bring 456 real-life players to compete in a series of physical challenges and team-centered competitions, with millions dangling as the reward.
In the live-action show, however, none of the contestants will be killed off.
