He’s been quiet because…

He’s no longer with the company.

Theories anyone?

Fired for falling short of performance expectations with WAR?

Asked to resign because of his many verbal (some would say Bidden-ish) blunders?

Quit over being forced to push his product early?

Uncovering of a maligned secret identity?

In all sincerity, his presence has been noticeably gone, especially when the Hickman started giving the state of the game letters instead of Mr. Jacobs. To MJ, we wish you the best of luck, you were a person who was dedicated to this game, and I truly believe you wanted this to be the best it possibly could, and you did everything you thought best to make it so. May all your endeavors be fruitful, and your career be rewarding wherever it is you land.

Edit: Just wanted to give a quick update with some links to comments and links from other sites for anyone still interested. Rev. Dr.  J. Drescher gives his inside scoop. And a little bit of journalistic info-dishing can be found here at Massively. Lastly, and most important, the man himself is writing again.