Lego Worlds, the Minecraft-like open-world building game that kept the rumor mill busy this past week, is indeed the real deal. Warner Bros. Interactive, TT Games and The Lego Group on Monday launched Lego Worlds as a Steam Early Access title that's available to play as of writing.

The game was built by TT Games which is the same firm that developed the Lego adventure games for both consoles and the PC. Lego Worlds players can build their world one brick at a time or use prefabricated structures as a starting place. There's also large-scale landscaping tools that'll make major overhauls easier and less time consuming.

What's more, gamers will have multiple ways to explore the virtual worlds and a variety of characters and creatures to interact with. Lego said it plans to add multiplayer support and sharing features in the future.

Lego Worlds has more in common with Minecraft than initially meets the eye. As a Steam Early Access title, Lego is taking the same approach to development that Mojang did with Minecraft by allowing gamers to play incomplete versions and offer feedback along the way. In fact, it was Minecraft that largely influenced the creation Steam's Early Access program.

Lego Worlds can be yours for $14.99 through Steam Early Access. No word yet on how long the game will remain in beta or if the price will change upon its full consumer release.