Square Enix Launches Later Pulls Hitman Facebook App

Square Enix Launches Later Pulls Hitman Facebook App

You can toss this into a ‘strange, but true’ news story. Earlier today, Square Enix launched a new Facebook App to promote Hitman: Absolution. What this was supposed to do was bring Agent 47 to life in a moody, live action video which incorporates the target’s individual information from their Facebook account. Agent 47 tracks them down and pieces together his sniper rifle before assassinating them with cold, clinical precision. Pulling together a collage of their photos, the victim then witnesses their life flash before their eyes.

Despite its seemingly dark heart, the experience has its tongue firmly in its cheek, allowing users to input whatever ridiculous reason they want for their friend to be terminated. Whether it’s their bad taste in clothes or inability to get a round of drinks in, the target is left in no doubt as to their ‘crime’.

It’s a bit of an interesting, and weird way to promote a game. Personally, I don’t find anything wrong with it, it just seems a bit of goofy fun, but I guess some people were offended by it and Square Enix apologized and quickly pulled the Facebook App.

One of the very few screenshots of the Hitman Facebook App.

We did have a video to show you, but the trailer video was pulled by Square Enix as well. This isn’t the first time Square Enix was involved in some controversy. Earlier this year, back in May, Square Enix came under fire for the “Attack of the Saints” trailer. The trailer was viewed as a “sexist portrayal of women” and well, a lot of people just didn’t like the fact that nuns were trying to blast out Agent 47, and eventually getting shot up themselves.

So, controversy is nothing new for Square Enix and its Hitman franchise. The whole idea of the Facebook App was to promote Hitman: Absoulation, so, for those that want to know, Hitman: Absolution is in stores now (not in Japan, that comes out January 24th), available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.