Nine to Five (video game)
A 3v3v3 tactical shooter set in a corporate dystopia.
Nine to Five was a free-to-play multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game developed and published by Redhill Games. It featured a unique 3v3v3 format where three teams of three players competed to complete objectives. The game was set in a near-future world ruled by military corporations and emphasized team-based, strategic gameplay without mid-match respawns.
Quick Facts
- Released
- May 16, 2022
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, Google Stadia, GeForce Now
- Developer
- Redhill Games
- Genre
- Massively multiplayer online tactical first-person shooter
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Title
- Nine to Five
- Modes
- Multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Nine to Five was developed by Redhill Games, a Finnish independent studio founded in 2018 by Matias Myllyrinne, former CEO of Remedy Entertainment. The game was announced at The Game Awards 2019. Development began in 2019, with a closed Alpha released on June 4, 2020, followed by a Beta Weekend on Steam from February 11 to February 15, 2021. The game entered Steam Early Access on August 26, 2021, and left early access after about 10 months, receiving its full 1.0 release on May 16, 2022 for PC and Google Stadia. On Stadia, early access began on December 8, 2021.
The game launched with three factions: Farmira, Mash Media, and New World Finance; a fourth faction, Milodyne, was added post-launch. Players could use barricades and drones for defense and area clearing. The game launched with three maps: Old New York, Varmstaad, and Huxwell Clinic, the latter added on release day. Customization options included camo, optics, and mods, offered through paid bundles and loot boxes.
Reader's Guide
Nine to Five is notable for its innovative 3v3v3 multiplayer format, which set it apart from traditional team-based shooters. The game emphasized strategy and teamwork, with no mid-match respawns, drawing comparisons to Counter-Strike. Despite positive early reception from PC MAG, which praised its team-based gameplay, satisfying shooting mechanics, and free-to-play model, the game suffered from a lack of content and technical issues such as freezing, stuttering, and frame rate drops. Just five months after its full release, Redhill Games announced the end of development on October 19, 2022, and the game was pulled from sale the next day. Servers remained active until January 18, 2023, after which they were shut down. All paid bundles were made free for existing owners. The game's short lifespan and abrupt closure highlight the challenges faced by free-to-play tactical shooters in a competitive market.
Did You Know?
- Nine to Five featured a 3v3v3 format, with three teams of three players competing simultaneously.
- Huxwell Clinic was the only map added on the day of the full release.
- After the shutdown announcement, all paid cosmetic items were made free for all players.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Nine to Five (video game)?
Nine to Five is a free-to-play tactical FPS developed and published by Redhill Games, with its full release landing on May 16, 2022. It distinguishes itself by pitting nine players in a three-team, objective-driven format that prioritizes coordinated strategy over spray-and-pray gunfights.
How does the 3v3v3 team format work in Nine to Five?
Rather than the usual two-sided match, three separate squads of three compete at the same time to secure objectives, meaning any of the other two teams can be your immediate threat. This creates a constantly shifting tactical picture where flanking, timing, and reading which team is pushing matter far more than in a standard 5v5.
What platforms is Nine to Five available on?
The game runs on Windows PC, Google Stadia, and GeForce Now. It is free to download and play across all three platforms following its full release in May 2022.
What is the setting and lore of Nine to Five?
The game takes place in a near-future world where military corporations have effectively supplanted governments and rule over the population. Players operate within this corporate dystopia, and the tactical skirmishes they engage in mirror the cutthroat, profit-driven power struggles of that fictional society.
Why doesn't Nine to Five have mid-match respawns?
Redhill Games built the experience around permanent eliminations so that every single engagement carries genuine weight and forces players to think carefully about positioning and timing. This no-respawn design is what makes the 3v3v3 format so tense, since losing even one squad member can tip an entire objective.
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