Square Enix pulls Hitman Absolution Facebook app allowing users to call hits on each other

Square Enix quickly pulled a promotional Facebook app today based on Hitman: Absolution which would have allowed users to place "virtual hits" on their Facebook friends.

These "hits" appear as posts on a user's Facebook wall that link back to a special Hitman: Absolution promotional page which required the processing of further personal information from the visitor.  Assuming this permission is granted, there the recipient will discover that they have been targeted for elimination by franchise main character Agent 47 himself (courtesy of their Facebook friends) over such grievances as their body odor, their hairy legs, etc.

The advertising promo sounded like it was designed to be in good fun for a target audience that would find this darkly humorous, but it apparently dawned on Square Enix shortly afterward that there was a little too much potential for it be used in seriously bad taste; some reasons for being "targeted" included the size of their breasts, or cheating on their spouse.  Or at least used on people who might see it as a form of cyber-bullying, which remains a very real issue online.  Square Enix has since deep-sixed the promo and issued an apology over "any offense caused by this."