America's Army Budget Pegged at $32.8 Million

Developing and maintaining the free-to-play America's Army PC multiplayer shooter series has cost the United States government $32.8 million across the past ten years, GameSpot recently learned through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Initially planned to be a "$7 million range" project concluding around 2007, the America's Army series continues to this day, with the Army claiming that it is a more effective recruitment tool than "any other method of contact."

America's Army circa 2002 and America's Army 3.

The most expensive game known, Grand Theft Auto IV, is estimated by developer Rockstar to have cost roughly $100 million. Sega AM2's Shenmue, initially released for the Dreamcast in 1999, previously held that crown with its $70 million budget.

The third major America's Army entry arrived on PC this past June, after which the Army shut down its main Emeryville, CA-based studio and relocated development to the main program office in Redstone Arsenal, AL. Thanks to roushimsx for the heads up.