As some discerning readers have noted, mysterious pictures of a new apartment have surfaced on PhilNick as of late, prompting all kinds of speculation and rumors amongst PhilNick fanboys. In addition, no new posts have been made for an extended period of time, promting many readers to go crazy in anticipation of a major change in store for PhilNick.

Well, the wait is finally over! Hot on the heels of Bungie’s announcement of Halo 3, PhilNick would like to announce that he has joined forces with Microsoft and he and his wife are on their way to Seattle.

(Note: Although the plan was to deliver an “annoucement trailer” similar to Bungie, PhilNick scrapped the plan at the last minute so as not to overshadow the news about the new Halo game.)

Some of you may be wondering what this will mean for the future of PhilNick. Well, quite simply, it means that:

1. PhilNick will now have access to Microsoft-published Xbox games for a mere $10! Yes, that means Halo 3 bitches!
2. PhilNick will now be eligible to volunteer for employee beta programs related to the Xbox. Can you say, Halo 3 multiplayer beta?
3. PhilNick will now have one of those uber-cool MS badges that grant him access to secret areas. Will it work at Bungie? He’s gonna find out (and may be fired in the process).

PhilNick is aware that this announcement may bring consternation and troubled thoughts to some. Is he going to the “dark side”? How could he let himself get caught in the tractor beam? Fear not doubters, PhilNick will still maintain his unrelenting mission to do good work and will try his best to make the company that makes the software that runs everything a better place to be.