The contestants were battling it out for a $456,000 cash prize
Millions of people tuned in to watch a real-life Squid Game setup by Youtuber MrBeast.
The YouTube star, who is one of the biggest names on the platform and boasts a ridiculous 76.9 million subscribers, had announced earlier this month that he had built a real-life version of the game.
I now have every game from Squid Game built in real life 🙂 pic.twitter.com/kzeeuSF7Rv
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 13, 2021
On Wednesday, the video finally went up online.
MrBeast got 456 people to take part in his own version of the hit Netflix show which he had almost perfectly recreated – at a cost of around $3.5m – with contestants bidding to win $456,000.
Obviously there was no death involved but each contestant was even fitted with a little explosive dye patch on their stomach to make it look like they had been shot, just like in the series.
Within an hour of its release, the video had gained over five million views. At the time of writing, it has 32.5 million views.
The new video is going off!! You have no idea how much this means to me 🥺🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/Qqyp7esbg8
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 24, 2021
However many have been critical of the video, arguing that a Youtuber spending millions to recreate a series that provides a scathing view on the debt and money in South Korean society has quite an ironic tinge to it.
One viewer wrote: “Sad to see people playing this sh*t in real life and they don’t know what is the hidden messages of squid sh*t.”
Another added: “I will say, I don’t hate MrBeast or care what he does, but the irony of spending all of this money to mimic a show where the message was about money just speaks volumes.”
A third said: “I don’t think you understood the point of Squid Game James.”
Meanwhile, others have pointed out that the Youtuber does a huge amount for charity as well, and many of his videos are all about helping others and those in need.
People really bagging on @MrBeast about the squid game, need to take a long look in the mirror and realize they don't even do .000001 percent of what he does for charity pic.twitter.com/ONpiYlh1oh
— JurrasicBook (@BookJurrasic) November 15, 2021
Related links:
- North Korean man sentenced to death for smuggling copies of Squid Game – report
- New series Hellbound has knocked Squid Game off Netflix top spot
- Sinead Kavanagh reveals Cris Cyborg is leaving her ‘Squid Game cards’ ahead of their fight