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Home News Square Enix Apologizes For Tasteless Hitman Promotion On Facebook

GAMING NEWS

Square Enix Apologizes For Tasteless Hitman Promotion On Facebook

Posted on Tuesday, December 4 @ 09:54:31 Eastern by Keri_Honea

We've all seen edgy promotions for games before, but we've never seen anything like what Square Enix unleashed this morning for Hitman: Absolution. They released a Facebook promotion, where Facebook users could place hits on their Facebook friends and then the friends would be sent a video of Agent 47 carrying out the deed. It sounds harmless and fun enough until you get into the mechanics of assigning the hit.

Users have to identify their friends by distinguishing characteristics for the assassination, and instead of using harmless descriptions such as "mole on cheek" or "tattoo on forearm", hits are identified by having "small tits", a "muffin top", or a "tiny penis". What's worse is that in the video that is sent to the target, Agent 47 is distinctly told that the target is identifiable by their insert-tacky-characteristic-here. Your friend now knows you think they have small boobs or a muffin top. That's sure to go over well.

It may have seemed funny and harmless on the publisher's end, but virtually no one outside of Square Enix found any slice of humor in it.

Aside from gamers being appalled, developers openly attacked the promotion on Twitter.
  • The Hitman Facebook advertising thing is just all the kinds of messed up. How did anyone think this was a good idea? - BioWare designer Jos Hendriks
  • This Hitman Facebook ad campaign has to be made up. There's no way something like this gets made, then ok'd, then launched public. - Nathan Vella, co-founder and president of developer Capybara
  • With the horrific rise in internet bullying it seems like a risky move to publish an app that encourages bullying. All press is good press? - Sarah Wellock, community manager at Rocksteady Studios
Not long after the backlash, Square Enix yanked the promotion, and then publicly apologized for the mess.

Earlier today we launched an app based around Hitman: Absolution that allowed you to place virtual hits on your Facebook friends. Those hits would only be viewable by the recipient, and could only be sent to people who were confirmed friends.

We were wide off the mark with the app, and following feedback from the community we decided the best thing to do was remove it completely and quickly. This we've now done.

We're sorry for any offence caused by this.

Wide off the mark? You think?

The sad thing is, this promotion could have actually been fun and creative. It's a shame that someone in PR thought it was a good idea to go the insult route.
Related Games:   Hitman: Absolution
Tags:   Square Enix, Hitman: Absolution


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Comments
  • Sebastian_Moss
    Sebastian_Moss
    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 11:04 am
    What I'm most interested in is how Agent 47 checked if someone's penis was indeed small before he killed them.
    0 7
  • Chunibrow
    Chunibrow
    Joined: Mar 2010
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 11:34 am
    Questioning ex girlfriends at gunpoint?
    0 0
  • 213EDD
    213EDD
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 11:06 am
    Classic Japan.
    0 0
  • Heath_Hindman
    Heath_Hindman
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
    Not sure if serious(?)
    Pretty sure this was Square Enix USA.
    0 0
  • 213EDD
    213EDD
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
    Heath foiling my comment. Classic Japan.
    0 0
  • Heath_Hindman
    Heath_Hindman
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 7:59 am
    Now see, THAT is way more accurate.
    0 1
  • Jobin_Wendy
    Jobin_Wendy
    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 11:50 am
    I get the joke, but, man is it ****ed up.
    0 0
  • moretokes
    moretokes
    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
    He checks them same way colOnel vOlgin checks snake
    0 1
  • majorcoxsore
    majorcoxsore
    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
    I received 15 hits yesterday because of my small penis.
    0 3
  • elmoreoocyte
    elmoreoocyte
    Joined: Apr 2012
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
    Am I the only one who doesn't find this incredibly off base? It's a game about killing people, is referencing their cup size or muffin top really the worst offense?

    Also, I avoided this crap by not participating in social media.
    0 2
  • Insolent
    Insolent
    Joined: Dec 2007
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
    Agreed. Given the content of the game and inside jokes throughout the series, from weird conversations to the strange people/things you come across, it's not off base at all. I miss the days where people could take a joke.
    0 1
  • Gaseous_Snake
    Gaseous_Snake
    Joined: Dec 2012
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
    I thought it was kinda funny but inappropriate at the same time. I think the difference is killing virtually which has been widely accepted for quite some time and potentially hurting people in real life by pointing out their muffin top. Either way I can't believe this was actually ok'd and made public.
    0 0
  • Bras
    Bras
    Joined: Jul 2008
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 2:16 pm
    It just amazes me how people can find this offensive, sure I wouldn't send it to my boss, but to a person I call "friend", why not?
    0 2
  • Heath_Hindman
    Heath_Hindman
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
    Especially my friends with small penises.
    0 1
  • Longo_2_guns
    Longo_2_guns
    Joined: Jun 2003
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
    This is such bullshit.

    Not the app itself, but the knee-jerk reaction it's produced due to being offensive. Now I use the word offensive lightly, because everything is offensive to someone out there. But let's be real, if someone is sending this maliciously, do you really think by removing it they're going to go "Welp, guess I can't be mean anymore." And I really can't think of why your friends would get offended by this, because I'm sure either they would know that you're joking or you wouldn't have the sort of friendship where you would use the identifiers that joke about them. If that was the case, you probably wouldn't send them one of these anyway.

    It also deserves repeating that this is something where you're telling your friend "I'M GOING TO HIRE SOMEONE TO KILL YOU!" That right there should immediately take precedence over the small penis, bad clothing choices, or whatever other insults you can think up.
    0 1
  • zanzibarmcfate
    zanzibarmcfate
    Joined: Oct 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
    Removing the app doesn't mean people are just going to stop being mean, but it doesn't mean that there should be an app giving another avenue to cyber-bullies. It''s one thing if it's a joke among friends, but I could easily see douchebag middle and high schoolers (who may not necessarily be Hitman fans) using this to further antagonize their victims.
    0 1
  • Insolent
    Insolent
    Joined: Dec 2007
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 3:25 am
    Yes, but it says right there in Square's response that it could only be sent to people that are on your friends list. Which means you probably know them in real life and should know it's all in good fun, or you have just been adding people to flush out your friends list to seem more popular. In my opinion, if that's the situation you're bringing it on yourself.
    0 0
  • zanzibarmcfate
    zanzibarmcfate
    Joined: Oct 2011
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 9:39 am
    I realize that, and was going to acknowledge it in my initial comment (but took it out because my comment was going to be too bloated). Coming from a small high school (a fickle environment), I have seen friends become enemies almost overnight, with one often bullying the other. Considering the loose definition of a Facebook friend, I don't buy the argument that you are "bringing it on yourself." In my case, I rarely add people, but will accept anyone that I've met (and haven't been too seriously pissed off at), yet I would have a righteous anger if someone I barely knew sent me something like this (again, it's different if it's a friend).
    0 0
  • Insolent
    Insolent
    Joined: Dec 2007
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 10:48 am
    Sorry, wouldn't let me reply to you. I guess my point is, maybe people should reconsider their definition of what a friend is, instead of blaming something that could've been avoided entirely if they managed their own friends list better. You wouldn't consider everyone you pass walking down the hallway a friend, so why do people do that very thing online? I'll agree the standards are a bit loose, but maybe that's the problem and not some stupid ad campaign. Anyways, good talk man.
    0 1
  • Heath_Hindman
    Heath_Hindman
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
    I think the bigger problem is that people take SO MUCH PRIDE in the MASSIVE SIZE or certain body parts. Gigantic boobs cause major backaches and humongous wangs have a really hard time fitting, um, inside a partner )and look reeeeaaally awkward at the pool. I can not understand caring about these things.
    0 4
  • Sammo
    Sammo
    Joined: Oct 2005
    Posted: Dec 4th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
    I love the cadence of this post. It gets even better because I imagine it read by the glassy-eyed little penguin. This is true artistry.

    That said, I unapologetically love boobs.
    0 0
  • ballabert
    ballabert
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Dec 5th, 2012 at 5:41 am
    Can they make ads for H:A that aren't controversial? First the saints trailer now this. Who are their PR people?
    0 0
  • Somaroth
    Somaroth
    Joined: Feb 2011
    Posted: Dec 6th, 2012 at 11:36 am
    I can't comment on the social ramifications, as I have avoided facebook so far, but it is, at least, a more accurate advertisement than the nun trailer.
    0 0

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