Hitman Facebook App Removed for Off-color Joke
It looks like Square Enix is trying to leave its mark on 2012 as the publisher with the worst off-color jokes of 2012.
The publisher first made it onto the hot seat after subsidiary IO Interactive released the infamous Hitman: Absolution "sexy nuns" trailer, which features killer clone 47 brutally offing a group of "sexy" nuns adorning fetish costumes. The trailer was immediately brushed off as offensive and IO Interactive was accused of being sexist. The developer immediately responded with profuse apologies, offering a backstory to the nuns and altering the level involving the nuns as consolation.
Square Enix launched a new advertising campaign in the form of a Facebook game to promote Hitman: Absolution. Players can choose to place virtual hits on friends in the forms of bullying threats with reasons such as, according to Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
§ Her awful make-up
§ Her ginger hair
§ Her annoying laugh
§ Her strange odour
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§ Her big ears
§ Her muffin top
§ Her hairy legs
§ Her small tits
It doesn't take much of a stretch of the mind to see why Square Enix got into trouble over this game. After being decried for, once again, being sexist, Square Enix pulled the game and released the following statement:
“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 of 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.”
It's surprising that the Square Enix marketing department allowed such off-color advertising to happen not just once, but twice. Maybe the publisher is following the philosophy that any level of press is good press.
Catherine Cai was a freelance news writer for Tom's Hardware. She covered a variety of tech industry news, ranging from PC components to PC and console gaming.
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bavman the3dsgeeki like ginger girlsReply
There is a difference between gingers and redheads my friend. -
esrever well I actually think the app is quite cool to use on a good friend but I guess it can be a tool for cyberbullying.Reply -
nikrusty LOL...what a funny story! Her small tits!? HAHAHAHAReply
Can someone place a HIT on just one Tit if its ugly? -
kinggraves With how far we've come with medicine, we still haven't found a cure for the growing epidemic of butthurt. It isn't like people can't still just post on their facebook "You have small ginger tits", the app is not responsible for the bullying.Reply -
threehosts Feminazism at its finest :( Ok, I understand that some fenines out there get offended by these things.Reply
But as a man I get quite offended by all the crap they show on TV, there is no end to all the depictions of the man in a derogatory position and/or being portrayed as extremely clumsy, incapable and/or extremely self-apologetic especially near fenines. We're talking about various advertisements and shows such as "2 1/2 men", Friends, National Lampoon ... etc.
If this happened occasionally it wouldn't offend me as much, but this is shown all the f*ing time and I cane barely watch the TV. Thankfully I don't watch TV anymore letting myself getting brainwashed.
I don't really care what they show on TV or advertisements but my point is that this "sexism" swings both ways and if the fenines want their say to get through, then so shall the men. -
razor512 Seems stupid for people to be angry about the nun fight scene. Way to troll a game company people.Reply -
Skeete_UK Genius marketing. I wouldn't have even known about this game without this article. I find it funny, so I am more likely to buy the game. Screw the people that don't like it, that's not the audience!Reply