Square Enix removes app just hours after launch, apologizing for being "wide of the mark" with game that allowed players to send death threats to friends.

Square Enix this morning launched a new Facebook app called "Hire Hitman" to promote its newly launched console game Hitman: Absolution. Rock, Paper, Shotgun discovered the app, revealing it tapped into users' accounts and allowed them to send death threats to friends complete with images pulled from their profiles.

The app even called for "hits" based on specific reasons, including "her awful make-up," "her annoying laugh," "her big ears," "her muffin top," or "her small tits." The app, however, was short-lived.

Square Enix pulled the app just hours after it became available and issued a statement apologizing for being "wide of the mark."

"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," reads a line from the statement. "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."

This is not the first instance of fuss surrounding Hitman: Absolution. Outcry over a controversial nun-murdering trailer led IO Interactive to alter the game itself to provide greater context.

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