America's Army is Over; Proving Grounds Servers to be Shut Down Soon
The servers for America's Army: Proving Grounds will shut down later this year. This marks the end of US military's digital recruiting tool.
- America's Army: Proving Grounds servers will be shut down on May 5;
- The game will remain playable via private servers;
- The title was a recruiting tool for the US Army.
On May 5, 2022, the servers for America's Army: Proving Grounds will be shut down. This marks the end of a game series that has served as a recruiting tool for the United States Army for 20 years.
The controversial title will disappear from Steam and PlayStation Store. After May 5, players will be able to compete against each other only on private servers. It will also be possible to play offline.
The decision was announced on the game's official forum. The creators thanked the players for their engagement and reminded that America's Army was the first ever game that aimed to support military recruitment.
What's the deal with America's Army?
- America's Army is a series of free online FPS games launched in 2002.
- The brand was created on behalf of the government and with the support of the United States Army in response to the dwindling number of recruits.
- The U.S. military wanted to use it to reach out directly to potential candidates for new soldiers.
- Since the launch of the first installment, the series sparked much controversy because of the role it played.
- The games were supposed to encourage young Americans to enlist in the army by showing them the realities of military life.
- The games were repeatedly criticized by the media, but that did not prevent the creation of as many as four major installments.
Was the game a success?
- Over the years America's Army has amassed a community of 20 million players.
- According to a study conducted by MIT 30% of Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 have formed a positive opinion of the U.S. military thanks to the game.
- Impact of America's Army on recruits was also supposed to be greater than any other recruitment event organized by the U.S. military.
- However, there is a lack of specific numbers that would illustrate the real impact of the game on the increase in the number of recruits.
It is worth mentioning that outside the realm of controversy, the series has been repeatedly praised by fans of realistic FPS games. America's Army was said to provide an extremely believable experience that is hard to find in competing titles.
As a result, the games have gathered a community of dedicated players with a taste for this type of gameplay. Most likely, it is these fans who will continue to compete on private servers.
