BioWare's Mass Effect 3 has been delayed into Q1 2012, but a comment from the recent EA Shareholder Q&A suggests that their MMO counterpart may also be pushed back. EA Games Chief Frank Gibeau has acknowledged that there's an "outside possibility of a January launch" for Star Wars: The Old Republic; blaming the lack of a firm release date on the fierce rivalry between MMOs in the World Of Warcraft-dominated marketplace.

Everyone is waiting for us to announce the ship date. Sorry, but that's not going to happen today.

We're holding the date for two reasons. First, we don't want to tip off the competition; second, we want more data from the beta test to guarantee a spectacular experience at launch.

We'll keep an eye on the situation, and will let you know as soon as EA and BioWare pick a date. Until then, why not check out our hands-on preview?