DC Universe Online Interview, Release Date Confirmed

Thanks to a new Q&A with DC Universe Online game director Chris Cao on IGN (and the press release below), we finally have confirmation of DC Universe Online's release date: January 11th in North America and January 14th in the UK. If you're in the mood for another superhero MMORPG, then you only have a few more weeks to wait:
Yes, after a last minute delay pushed the MMO from Sony Online Entertainment past its original November launch, the company announced DC Universe Online is coming Jan. 11, 2011 for both PC and the PlayStation 3. If you live in the UK, look for the game on Jan. 14, 2011. Sadly, there was no word on an Australian release date.

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IGN: Could you give us some stats from the beta? How many people played as heroes vs. villains? What was the most common movement type?

Chris Cao: We married metrics with direct feedback to get the best possible picture of what's going on in beta. While the statistics fluctuated a bit, there were some interesting results:

* Superman was the favorite mentor by far. Circe needs a publicist.

* Heroes seem to have the upper hand at about 60 percent. For now. Villain numbers are larger on PvP servers.

* Players like blowing stuff up. Hand Blasters are everywhere.

* The Little Bohemia Police Station is hopping on PvP servers. More player deaths occurred around it than any place else in both cities.

The press release to follow:
SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE DC UNIVERSETM ONLINE WORLDWIDE ON JANUARY 11, 2011

First Action Combat MMO to Ship Day and Date for PC and PlayStation®3

SAN DIEGO Dec. 21, 2010 - Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that the highly anticipated online action game DC Universe â„¢ Online (DCUO), has reached gold master status and will be available at retail outlets worldwide on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on January 11, 2011.   DCUO, licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on behalf of DC Entertainment,will be the first online game based in the DC Universe, the first MMO on PlayStation 3, and the first time DC Universe Online will be accessible to the millions DC Universe fans.

(Creating DC Universe Online has been a massive undertaking, and we're excited to be that much closer to launch,) said Christopher Cao, Game Director of DCUO for Sony Online Entertainment.  )We're grateful to our beta players for providing us invaluable feedback in these final stages that has enabled us to put the finishing touches on a fun and exciting experience when the game launches in January.)

DC Universe Online will carry an anticipated retail price of US$59.99 for PlayStation 3 and US$49.99 for PC in North America.  The game includes one 30-day game membership, with monthly subscriptions available thereafter for US$14.99.  For customers playing the PC version of the game, DCUO will be included in SOE's all-in-one Station Access subscription. Sony Online Entertainment expects to update the game regularly with new episodes featuring iconic DC Comics characters, new instances and major in-game events.

As a traditional action-based MMO that combines fast-paced, twitch-based combat with an interactive physics system to deliver a new and unique gameplay experience, DC Universe Online brings the DC Universe to life, allowing players to create their own superheroes - or villains - and join forces with their favorite DC Comics characters such as Superman , Batman and The Joker to aid in saving or destroying the universe.  

DC Universe Online is rated T for Teen by the ESRB with the following content descriptors: Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence.  For more information about DC Universe Online, visit www.DCUniverseOnline.com.

About DC Universe Online
Lex Luthor has traveled back through time with news of a dire future: While the heroes and villains spent years battling amongst themselves, Brainiac has been feeding on their powers, building strength to return to Earth and destroy humanity. To change the future, Lex has come back to set off a device that bestows super powers to thousands of every-day citizens and give humanity a fighting chance. Can Brainiac be stopped, or is this another nefarious Lex Luthor plot?

For the first time, players and fans will be able to enter the DC Universe as an active force for good or evil. A massively multiplayer experience, DC Universe Online delivers unparalleled high-energy, physics-powered combat that brings the player's extraordinary powers to life.

DC Universe Online was created in the artistic vision of legendary comic book artist Jim Lee, and set within a world created by famous DC writers including Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman.

About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legendsâ„¢, PlanetSide®, and Star Wars Galaxies, as well as the recent kids' phenomenon Free Realmsâ„¢, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Tucson, AZ, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development across various platforms and genres for audiences of all ages.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest , Champions of Norrath and PlanetSide are registered trademarks and Untold Legends , Legends of Norrath , and Free Realms are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner.  DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.