Some video game names just aren't meant to be. Take Puck-Man, the original, susceptible-to-vandalism name for Pac-Man. Or take today's example, the iPhone game soon-to-be-formerly-known-as Pussy Flip.
The Othello-style game will be updated later this month, its creators at U.K. development studio Kwalee, adding achievements, a new mode, a new board and a new name.
"With its new update Pussy Flip will be renamed as Flip the Cats, which will work better in global markets and better describes what the game is about."
Well, yeah, that name might raise a few less eyebrows.
When I saw this morning's name-change news, I wondered, on Twitter, if perhaps "pussy" didn't have all the same connotations in the U.K. that it does in the U.S. Or if it's only used in the U.K. for cat.
A few folks replied:
And then some people at Kwalee started chiming in:
The title is awkward enough that, when you log in to play it with a Facebook account, the game calls itself "Kitty Flip."
Some think the rather saucy original name was intentional.
But our man at Kwalee notes that the studio now has a new problem.
Hey, at least the new name will "work better in international markets"!
And finally, for kicks, the clip from Are You Being Served that many people, including Kwalee people, shared with me: