DC Universe Online due by early 2010?

It's a sordid affair when superheroes begin dishing on their secrets. Tell one person in confidence, and the next day, Bruce Wayne's got photographers swarming his cave, asking about the legal implications of having a vigilante CEO heading up Wayne Enterprises, inquiring about the gas mileage on the Batmobile.

Sony Online Entertainment is experiencing a similar situation this week. In a recent interview with MTV, DC Universe Online writer and notable comic scribe Geoff Johns casually disclosed that Sony's upcoming superhero massively multiplayer online role-playing game is expected to arrive for the PlayStation 3 and PC by 2010.

"It launches I think in early 2010, it could be late 2009," said Johns, continuing, "I've written the overall story and the path that gets you into the game and the areas of the universe and how to explore them, but not every line of dialogue. That's a fulltime job, it's too frigging big, too intense to write every line of an MMO. I'd probably jump off a building."

[UPDATE] For its part, Sony Online isn't yet willing to corroborate Johns' assessment. "We saw Geoff's comments as well and are not sure where he got his info or why he would make those comments," the publisher said to GameSpot. "SOE has never announced a release date for this title because in all honesty it has not been determined yet. The development of the game is coming along very well and we are thrilled with what we are seeing so far."

Assuming Sony proceeds with Johns' time frame, DC Universe Online would launch in the crosshairs of a number of other highly anticipated MMOGs. The game would launch after City of Heroes veterans Cryptic Studios roll out Champions Online in early 2009. Also on the horizon would be BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, better known as the long-speculated Knights of the Old Republic MMOG officially unveiled in October.

For more on DC Universe Online, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.