This bit of Hitman: Absolution marketing included ‘identifiers’ for targets of these contracted hits by the bald assassin. Among them were female friends having ”small tits”.
This isn’t some extremely tardy April Fools gag ; this actually happened. It immediately struck a nerve for using such bullying language, in a time when online bullying is rife.
Developers within the industry have already exclaimed their genuine shock at something like this not only being put together, even in concept, but actually managing to make it out the door and get published live on Facebook. ”With the horrific rise in internet bullying it seems like a risky move to publish an app that encourages bullying,” commented Batman: Arkham City developer’s Sarah Wellock, community manager at Rocksteady Studios. ”All press is good press?”
”The Hitman Facebook advertising thing is just all the kinds of messed up,” designer Jos Hendriks from Mass Effect and Dragon Age’s BioWare added. ”How did anyone think this was a good idea?”
These contract murders via Agent 47’s hands included the following ‘identifiable traits’:
■ Her awful make-up
■ Her ginger hair
■ Her annoying laugh
■ Her strange odour
■ Her big ears
■ Her muffin top
■ Her hairy legs
■ Her small tits
Among the ‘reasons’ for the contract hit include ‘cheating on a partner’. Male identifiers included ginger hair, sh*t hair or small penis. The Facebook app of questionable sanity, not only taste, was linked directly from Hitman.com, but Square Enix is yet to offer comment.
A video would play showing 47 inspecting the photo of your ‘contract hit’, him lining up a shot and then an Agency summary screen showing the status of the individual as ‘terminated’. Nothing like a good start to a day as having a videogame character assassinate you after a ‘friend’ tells them you’re easily identified by your small… assets.
