So folks, our 1-year Anniversary is right around the corner…yeah I know, quick wasn’t it? Anyway, We would like you to help us celebrate it! Here’s the deal. We are hosting a Screenshot Contest. I think this is going to be fun… Theme = “A Match Made In Halo’s 1st Anniversary,” of course. We want you to forge a creative ScreenShot of your choice. Use Hearts, our Gamertags, Wedding date, AMMIH logo, or whatever might visually represent A Match Made In Halo. Most importantly, BE CREATIVE!

We will choose one Grand Prize winner and two Runner Ups. Winners will receive AMMIH swag and memorabilia from the wedding!

Email your submissions to Screenshots@AMatchMadeInHalo.com

Deadline will be 11:59pm EST Saturday the 16th.

Winners will be announced on our big day, “1/17″

Grand Prize winner will receive:

• AMMIH Handmade 1 1/4″ Pin
• AMMIH Handmade Bookmark
• Limited Edition Save-the-Date
• Limited Edition AMMIH Wedding Invitation
• Limited Edition Wedding Favor (Blue sphere Plasma Grenade “looking” Candle)
• Limited Edition Custom(Personalized) Thank You Card
• Autographed Wedding Photo
• 1 Year of Xbox Live Gold Membership

Runner Up (2) will receive:

• AMMIH Handmade 1 1/4″ Pin
• AMMIH Handmade Bookmark
• PAX 2009 XBox-360 Avatar Shirt
• Personalized Thank You Card
• 1600 MS Points

Well, there you have it… Year one coming to a close, I still can’t believe it myself. But it’s here and there’s no denying it. Let’s see how fast the next one shows up!

So get crackin’…make us proud! I cannot WAIT to see what you guys come up with! Good Luck, and let the Forge be with you…

There was word of it at PAX ‘09… But is it only a legend? A trick of the eye? Nope! It seems that Bungie is, in fact moving! For those not in the know, Bungie is moving out of dear old Kirkland, WA and into Bellevue!

But why are they moving? On a scale of 1 to 7 how sexy is the new facility. Will there be more room for snacks? What about a safer place to keep Ling-Ling’s head?

Well, let’s start at the beginning here…

Admit it, the Kirkland facility is sexy. That huge arch that serves as the roof calls you every time you see it. But Bungie is growing! The code monkeys, engineering geniuses, artist extraordinaires, and positively brilliant producers need some breathing room to work well. It’s time for a change in scenery.

I’ve gotta admit, having the pancake house, Starbucks, bakery, and QFC right next door rocks. But it’s not enough to keep those guys in Kirkland. On the other side of the freeway, we have Bellevue Galleria in need of some tenants. It’s a match made in Eastside!

I looked up the galleria on Google earth, went to street view, and you’ll never guess what I saw on the sidewalk! People held up a sign saying “Bellevue Galleria hurts our community.” Weird, right? I’m assuming Bungie is getting a good deal out of a desperate building.

The desperate building we speak of.

So, what does this mean?

Bellevue Galleria is a failing shopping center right now. It’s struggling to compete with Lincoln Square a few blocks down, and ¼ of its retail space is empty. According to local reports, and even bloggers, the facility has been going downhill before Lincoln Square was built (a rival shopping center right by Bellevue Galleria). I’ve found reports of this place going downhill since 2004. The citizens of Bellevue aren’t too happy with Bellevue Galleria’s current state, and the facility’s new managers are bound and determined to get anyone in there. Luckily for them, Bungie isn’t just any business to lease a building to.

With Bungie moving in, will it bring about a little bit more prosperity to the facility? It could easily encourage more businesses to move in to cater to the ever-expanding Bungie Studios! I’m sure the vast majority of Bungie workers may have a longer commute, and will probably end up using the facility’s stores and such for the sake of convenience. Only time will tell!

Naturally, Kirkland isn’t extremely happy with Bungie’s move. Kirkland was all “Haha! We have software companies here! AND we have Bungie!” and now they’re all “Damn!” that Bungie is leaving. Is it possible that someone in Kirkland will step in to keep them somewhere in Kirkland, for the sake of the city’s reputation?

The new facility in Bellevue is approximately 85,000 square feet, more than able to house the 138 workers (numbers from the Kirkland city business records). The part of Bellevue Galleria Bungie is going to occupy was once a movie theatre. Such a layout would seem ideal for a game studio.

According to local rumor, and maybe even a few official mouths, Bungie will be moving out in January.

Sources:

Kirkland Reporter

Kirkland Reporter- Article #2

The Sledgehammer

Puget Sound Business Journal

To get things started on our glorious trip to Seattle/Kirkland for PAX, we flew in two days early to get a feel for the area (and because tickets were $100 cheaper .) When SickNdehed told me that we had a layover in LA, I wasn’t too thrilled.

Well, something interesting came out of our stop in LAX. While we were traveling down that conveyor belt for people with heavy bags we saw a couple familiar faces walking the other direction in the center aisle. Sick and I glanced at each other and I asked, “Is that…?” She cut me off by nodding her head and said “Yes, that was the RvB guys!” So… they actually ended up being on our flight to Seattle and we got a chance to ask them for a picture with us.

Our next point of interest on this day was a nice visit to the wonderful Bungie Studios. We happen to come say “Hi” not too long after the building was swarmed by “Kirkland’s finest.” It seems they spooked a local when carrying their well known (to the Halo fans anyway) Sniper Rifle from one building to the other. You can check their past Weekly Update for more details.

After sticking our noses through the door SickNdehed and I were surprised to meet Stephen Totilo of Kotaku (who actually flew down to cover our wedding.) After seeing him finish up, we got to poke around the studio lobby for a few. We snapped some pretty pics with some trophies, memorabilia, and even got a few friendlies to come out of their cave to meet us.

Click image for more pics!

I’d say we started our trip off with a -BLAM!- This day is well set in our memories.

Well this wraps up our first story surrounding our PAX visit. Be sure to keep an eye out, there’s much more to come.