“This wasn’t a decision we ever wanted to make,” a Penny Arcade Expo executive told reporters at a hastily-organized press conference outside their Seattle headquarters early today.  “But we cannot in good conscience proceed with this event given the current guidance from the CDC.  PAX 2009 is cancelled due to Swine Flu.”

Ten minutes later, Hormel sued Penny Arcade in civil court.

“Penny Arcade has made a blatant attempt to undermine the public trust in bacon,” read the official complaint.

Not willing to take the affront sitting down, Hormel also launched a retaliatory effort to rebrand the H1N1 virus, to give Penny Arcade a taste of its own medicine.

Flyers, posters, and even a website have sprung up almost overnight, encouraging the populace to adopt a new nickname for the deadly flu strain, although it is not yet readily apparent how receptive people will be to adopting “Sweaty-People-Being-Overcharged-For-A-Game-Convention Flu” as an alternative.

More details as they come.