BioWare and Electronic Arts have both been very careful not to talk too specifically about the release date of their highly-anticipated MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, in a recent investor update by EA CFO Eric Brown, he said that a firm release date was unlikely to be revealed before the end of October.

On more than one occasion, EA has explained that they're aiming for as smooth of a launch as possible, which will be determined based on the feedback they receive from the ongoing beta. And though the publisher is forecasting (not promising) an October release-date announcement, the actual release itself might not occur until next year.

"We did hold out a slight possibility that it could slip to our March quarter," Brown said. "And the factors that would cause a slip is, for example, us not being completely satisfied with the scalability testing, and wanting to tune it for several extra weeks."

MCV notes that BioWare's Stephen Reid jumped into the SWTOR forum to further explain and try to mitigate fan uproar about the possibility of a release delay.

"Just as [Eric Brown] didn't promise that you would get a release date announcement in September, he isn't promising a release date before the next earnings call," Reid clarified. It could happen, but it's not a promise."

He continued:

However, as with any large and complex game project, there's always the possibility of slippage. Always. That is why we have always said we're aiming for that window, because it's possible that unforeseen issues may push the date. Eric Brown is doing what he's paid to do - letting investors know that the possibility exists. A possibility doesn't mean a certainty.

The possibility of a release delay aside, Reid further noted that a "2011 holiday window" is still being targeted for Star Wars: The Old Republic.