Ready to participate in a grand war between the Jedi and Sith this Christmas? Well, there’s a slight possibility that the game could be pushed back to until 2012, according to Electronic Arts CFO Eric Brown.
"In terms of timing we haven't given a street date yet. We won't do so for some time, possibly at our next upcoming earnings call towards the end of October,” Brown told investors.
“We did hold out a slight possibility that it could slip to our March quarter. 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.”
Bioware’s Stephen Reid downplayed the speculation in a post on the official Old Republic forums.
“Investor calls and conferences are for investors. They are not meant for the general public,” he wrote. “It's important to also note the word 'possibly' was used in Eric's statement above. Just as he 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. It could happen, but it's not a promise.
“There is absolutely no change to our previous messaging with this statement. We are in active and extensive testing for The Old Republic. We're aiming to release the game in the holiday 2011 window (or, before the end of the year, to speak in non-American for a minute).”
“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,” he closed.
Here’s hoping Bioware gets it out-the-door in good working order so we can all enjoy some hot Jedi action this year.
[Via MCV]
