LEGO has finally launched a video game to compete with Minecraft

For just $14.99, you can now play Lego’s own version of the world-building game Minecraft. Time Warner-owned gaming firm TT Games, which holds the extremely lucrative Lego video game license, quietly released an early version of the game to Steam today. The new game, Lego Worlds, owes a heavy debt to Minecraft but uses (to great effect) Lego bricks. According to promotional materials, “In LEGO Worlds, players have the freedom to alter procedurally generated worlds and create anything they can imagine one brick at a time, or use prefabricated structures to customize their environments. Large-scale landscaping tools are available to modify terrain quickly and easily.” The game is part of Steam’s early-access section, which lets gamers play games still under development and test them out alongside developers. While Minecraft is not mentioned anywhere in the press release or in the game’s promotional materials, the trailer above shows a considerable thematic and aesthetic similarity. Minecraft is one of the best-selling video games of all times, and Lego’s video games have sold lucratively. A similar sandbox gaming product from Disney, Disney Infinity, has also been a hit with young consumers.