Star Trek Online developer Cryptic's already revealed that the closed beta for the sci-fi MMORPG will begin later this year. Today they let everyone know when the game will officially launch.

Executive producer Craig Zinkievich told Videogamer today that STO will be released between January and March of next year. "Without giving you the date, which I'm not allowed to give out or else the marketing people will come and smack me in the back of the head, I can tell you that the game will be out the first quarter of 2010."

"The closed beta is really just right around the corner," Zinkievich added. "I think that there's a press release that's going to go out in just a couple of days."

Cryptic has been accepting closed beta applications for STO since the beginning of September. Gamers who signed up for six-month or lifetime subscriptions to another Cryptic MMO, Champions Online, have guaranteed access to the beta.