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MrBeast is already plotting his next move to stay ahead of the competition. The second season of "Squid Game" premiered on Netflix on December 26, and the YouTuber has teased a plan to recreate it.
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is the biggest YouTuber in the world with 340 million subscribers.
In November 2021, Donaldson built his own version of the "Squid Game" set, complete with the "red light, green light" doll, bunk bed dorm, huge tug-of-war arena, and $456,000 prize.
The costs set him back $3.5 million, but that's not deterring him from looking to try it again.
"Should I recreate Squid Games 2 in real life like we did with the first season?" Donaldson asked his followers on X on December 27.
Responses have been mixed, with some excited by the prospect of another real-life "Squid Game." The first video racked up 685 million views, so the appetite is likely there.
But others recommended Donaldson look inward and address some of the controversy that has surrounded his own show first.
The second season of "Squid Game" has been hotly anticipated for three years. The Korean-language Netflix series follows characters who, downtrodden and disadvantaged, opt into a lethal contest where they play children's games for a huge cash prize — being brutally killed if they lose.
Meanwhile, Donaldson has been furiously promoting his new show, "Beast Games," on social media since the first episode aired on December 17. For example, he said he would give away a share of $100,000 to 10 random people who reposted a promotion of "Beast Games" on X.
Donaldson also used Netflix's promotion of "Squid Game" to draw attention to "Beast Games," commenting under posts to remind people that the third episode would be dropping on December 26 as well.
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Reviews of "Beast Games" have been mixed. Business Insider's Katie Notopoulos said it was entertaining but she worried about what message it sends about money to younger viewers.
The Guardian gave the show two stars and labeled it "one of the most undignified spectacles ever shown on TV," while an IGN review determined the show to be "almost entirely wearisome."
Before the show's release, Donaldson had to defend himself against allegations about treatment on set.
Some contestants told The New York Times they weren't given enough food and had to wait hours or sometimes days to receive their medication or basic hygiene supplies during the promotional shoot in Las Vegas. They also alleged that some contestants were injured during challenges, and many needed medical care.
Five contestants are seeking class-action status for a lawsuit filed in September alleging dangerous working conditions.
Amazon declined to comment on the lawsuit to BI. A spokesperson for Donaldson previously told BI that Amazon was not involved in the Las Vegas round of the show.
The spokesperson also said that this shoot was "unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues."
While things seemed to improve in Toronto, where the majority of the Amazon show was filmed, some crew members told Rolling Stone that it continued to be "wild" and "disorganized," with a lack of air conditioning and some unsafe conditions due to flooding.
Donaldson's ambitious recreation of "Squid Game" and his reputation for pushing the limits with his content was likely one of the reasons Amazon wanted to partner with him for "Beast Games."
The YouTuber has a way of staying on top with his philanthropy and the scale of his stunts, so the negative public perception of "Beast Games" could blow over in time.
But partnering with a giant like Amazon has put more eyes on him than ever. Creator economy experts previously told BI that Donaldson may find it harder to fund his next big project because of the negative headlines it has generated.
"They'll still do partnerships with him," Diana D'Angelo, the CEO of Breaking Creatives Agency, told BI. "But maybe they'll put a bigger check on what he's actually doing and how it's being done."
