The Pirate Bay has started the new year with an interesting update to the site. The counter that previously kept track of the time that had passed since the raid, is now counting down to February first. An official announcement is expected to follow in the near future.

On December 9 The Pirate Bay was raided at the Nacka station, a nuclear-proof data center built into a mountain complex near Stockholm.

Two weeks later the domain became responsive again, waving a pirate flag and a counter that kept track of the time that had elapsed since the raid.

During the weeks that followed there were a handful of changes to the site, including a link to a pirated copy of “The Interview” and various cryptic messages.

Today, there’s another update that gives Pirate Bay users hope that the site may be working on a comeback.

As of a few hours ago the counter stopped counting up and began counting down. This suggests that something is going to happen on February 1, although it’s not officially confirmed what that will be.

In addition to the updated counter the javascript used to display fireworks on the site also has a promising name, “allishere.js.” Sources previously told TF that there were issues with Pirate Bay’s backups, but the “allishere” reference may suggest otherwise.

A source close to The Pirate Bay team informs TF that more exciting news and an official announcement will follow in the near future.

Stay tuned for more news.