Blizzard has previously suggested a 2012 release was on the cards for the upcoming Starcraft II expansion Heart of the Swarm, however Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz believes that this is now unlikely.

“Typically, Blizzard puts its new titles into beta for 3-6 months before they are officially released. With only 5 months left in the year, while it is still possible that Swarm could make the fiscal year, we are now assuming it ships in FY13,” he said in a recent research note.

Blizzard announced last month that Gamescom attendees will be able to take control of the all-new Terran, Protoss, and Zerg units in a Heart of the Swarm multiplayer demo on the show floor.