Tomb Raider games firm turns to Frank

Square Enix, Japan's second-largest games company, has called in Frank PR to oversee consumer PR across the brand's portfolio.

The appointment comes just three months after the company announced it had hired Exposure to handle PR in the UK. It is understood that Frank won the brief via a three-way pitch and that Exposure did not repitch for the account.

Frank will support Square Enix's raft of upcoming releases, including crime drama game Sleeping Dogs, which will be in the shops within the next month.

The publisher caused a stir last month when media reports suggested that Tomb Raider's heroine, Lara Croft, would fight off a sexual assault in a forthcoming game. The company subsequently issued a statement saying that the 2013 game would not contain 'sexual assault of any kind'.

Square Enix recently announced that English-born actress Camilla Luddington, best known for her role as Kate Middleton in William & Kate, is to play Lara Croft. She will take on the voice, acting and motion-sensor work for the new release.

Frank will also support Square Enix with the campaign for the Hitman: Absolution game, which is due to be released later in the year.

Square Enix also publishes the Final Fantasy series of adventure games, which have sold more than 100 million units worldwide.

Frank previously worked on the launch of the biggest game of 2011, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, as part of its activity for Activision.

The games publisher, however, switched its retained consumer account from Frank to Red in May.