@cstross I know an interesting case where a game development studio developed their next game under a new name, and I think it had to do with the fact that the new game, unlike the previous two, was not porn.
Not really related, but slightly relevant: my cartoon giraffe avatar has stuck to me to the point where people who already know my work and meet me in person for the first time tend to call me "the giraffe guy" before they remember what my actual name was. Awkward.