Do you see it in the picture?
Look a little closer.
Yes, that minifig is the official business card for LEGO universe producer Ryan Seabury...
...and it's killing my business card.

The Brandford Rant Institute of Cosmic Kinesis was founded in 1984 by inter-dimensional theorist Bradford Rant to study the possibility of intersecting alternate universes, and they may have finally hit pay dirt. They've been tracking mysterious LEGO pods that have been falling to Earth from origins unknown, apparently drawn to locations that contain a significant number of LEGO bricks and large amounts of imagination.

The scientists who maintain the Institute have set up a website to track the progress of their discoveries, having already posted a video documenting the discovery of the first pod, found in LEGOLAND Park in Denmark. That discovery only led to more questions. What are the mysterious words on the side of the pod? Why are the pilots so damn cheery? What does it all mean?

The next Pod is somewhere in North America. Can you help them find it?

This is obviously some sort of alternate reality game for some sort of LEGO product, and we've got a hunch that it could be for LEGO Universe, Net Devil's upcoming MMO. When you start talking LEGO and parallel universes, it's the logical conclusion to come to.

Visit the Bradford Rant Institute website yourself to see if you can help solve the mystery of the LEGO pod people.

These screens show not just a taste of the diversity you can expect from the game's characters, environments and LEGO creations, but also how you'll go about building your minifig avatar.

"Within the company we have made a strategic decision within LEGO to make a delay of LEGO Universe. It will not be coming out in 2009," said Mark Hansen, director of business development for the LEGO Group. "The reason is, we have a luxury right now, the business is going good. We have products launching that are not digital, the physical products, with them going so well we don't want to take focus away from them."

While Hansen couldn't say if the game would come out even in 2010, he was adamant that LEGO Group remains committed to the online multiplayer game being developed by NetDevil.

"This is something LEGO is very committed to," Hansen said. "We see it as a major growth."

It's likely that LEGO Group's annual earnings report next Monday might shed a bit more light on which project they don't want overshadowed by LEGO Universe. It's possible that more details about eventual timing for the game could be hinted at then as well.

The delay means that NetDevil will have more time to both work on the original concept and also potentially add new ideas to the game before it ships, Hansen said.

"There will be additions," he said. "But we are holding exactly to the plan we had when we started game development. (NetDevil might) create more content and alignment with the products we have on the shelf."

At least initially that won't include the LEGO bricks that use different IP like Batman, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Hansen said. But that's not totally off the table. The hang-up would be getting the owners of those properties to sign off on the rights, he said. Something that's often a difficult proposition.

Hansen said that while the game has been delayed, development is progressing nicely. In fact LEGO Group released two new pieces of art to Kotaku that were created using 100 percent game assets.

One shows pirates the other shows a robot of sorts being attacked by people with swords and spears.

"We like the results very much," Hansen said. "The NetDevil relationship is very, very strong. The commitment to bring it out is as well."

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In an interview with Massively, though, NetDevil's Mark Hansen did not entirely dismiss the suggestion that some of the licensed properties from the Traveller's Tales games might make an appearance in the future.

When asked if this was the case, Hansen said, "No, not at all. I think you will ... yeah. (laughs)"

It might be a nice extra but you have to hope that this doesn't distract from the basic Legoiness that the game seems to offer. It is always more fun if you make it yourself, after all.

Lego IPs interview pt. 2 [Massively, via Joystiq]

As they work on the game, Seabury says that NetDevil is trying to identify what is "really core LEGO play" and not create a directed adventure like you find in the Traveller's Tales games. In fact, he hopes that the game could get people to do the same in the real world. Right now, it seems that lots of kids buy the pre-packs to make the models found on the box cover. Seabury says playing the game inspires he and his child to actually take their virtual creations and make them with real-world LEGOs.

Seabury also talks about how LEGO Universe will compare to LittleBigPlanet and Spore when it comes to user created content. It's a chunky, though interesting interview if you have the time.

In the coming weeks (blame TGS) we'll be posting some in-game videos, hands-on impressions, interviews and tour videos on the site. While LEGO Universe isn't quite playable(by me) yet, producer Ryan Seabury took some time to talk to us about where the game was headed and what we could expect to see. He also showed off his totally kick-ass real-world Starcraft LEGO diorama. Look for that one a bit later today.

In the meantime amuse yourself at my expense:

This video was recorded in NetDevil's second Lego Universe Project event. According to Scott Brown, NetDevil's president, in the first LUP event they asked these Lego users to give them an idea of what the game should be like, which of course resulted in them building hundreds of actual Lego models of monsters, places, and all kinds of devices, machinery, and vehicles.

After that session, NetDevil started to program the software tools and the models needed to design Lego Universe terrains and structures. Now, in the second LUP event, they have trained those Lego people on the tools themselves, which they are using to create the virtual worlds. Apparently, NetDevil is very impressed by how fast these people—who in their day jobs are mostly engineers—got into the tools after just a three-hour class. Hopefuly that means things are progressing fast and we will see this game—which seems to have great potential—sooner than later.

LEGO Universe design director Brian Booker says that the game will have an "overarching epic storyline about the origins of LEGO Universe and the minifigs that inhabit it."

I can't tell everything about the game just yet, but maybe I can give you some hints... Aside from just playing games or trading and socializing, the story allows minifigs to team up—and that's when the real adventuring begins. If the teams of little LEGO people are successful in their endeavors, they'll uncover new zones where they can have new and different experiences...

Booker also walks us through the games economy which isn't, it turns out, based on studs.

Turns out that LEGO's are going to be toting around... plastic to buy things.

Essentially, new minifigs enter LEGO Universe with nothing: no money, no bricks, no stuff. Then they go through the world completing challenges, defeating enemies, gathering goods, discovering treasures and unlocking secrets. Along the way, the minifigs find bricks and collect a highly valuable currency— plastic.

Using plastic, you can buy and sell goods to do things like customize your minifig; all the shops and vendors in LEGO Universe take plastic!

Since LEGO bricks are actually made of plastic, your minifig can also use it to create the bricks they need for their models or pets. But you could also trade with other minifigs for the bricks you need —so you can conserve your currency by cooperating!

Today, NetDevil announces a new name change to NetAngel. This new company name establishes a clearer link to our commitment to make immersive and socially responsible massively multiplayer online games. This change takes effect on April 1st, 2008.

NetDevilAngel Home Page [Official Site]

There's a lot of material in the interview but there were two things he touched upon that I found really interesting. First is how LEGO Universe is going to deal with violence and still attract younger gamers.

For LEGO Universe I'm seeking out creative ways to represent aggressive play and darker themes while still retaining LEGO values. This is an exciting challenge for me. I enjoy challenges that push my creative limits!

I'd like this game to feel more like Asian games. My goal is to design a visual package that has a distinct style, has a bright clean look, and complements the look of LEGO bricks. Executing this high goal is also an exciting challenge to me. Finally, I want LU to appeal to girl players in ways that aren't condescending or stereotypical. These are things I'd like to achieve to create a game that retains LEGO values while appealing to a wide range of cultures.

Also interesting is how LEGO Universe is going to manage to build a game that includes a diverse collection of sets. It's a pretty big challenge if you think about it. LEGO has everything from their younger City sets to things like Black Knight's Castle.

We could have designed the game so that all of the pieces had to visually fit into the world in specific ways, but I recognized early on that this might make it impossible to include virtual versions of some LEGO elements and play themes. So, I wanted to create an adaptable environment where it would be possible for Black Knight's Castle to come in contact with the City and it wouldn't look out of place.

Our art fiction is making that possible. Since very early on in the design process we've focused on the creative idea that imaginations will come to life in the game. So, if a child can imagine Black Knight's Castle and the City together—and kids do that from the research that I've seen— then it's acceptable in LEGO Universe.

From the art execution side, we are designing assets that can be used to unify two very different looking play themes. These can be simple things like small bushes placed between the two sets that soften up the visual transition. We will investigate many techniques to achieve visual continuity.

Still no word on whether IP-themed sets, like Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones will be making appearances. My money is on no.

LEGO Universe

The Lego world is all about creativity and building and Lego Universe will be no different. Players will start the game by customizing their mini-figs. According to Hanson, each figure will be endlessly customizable so that you can create a character that looks just like you (or not) to inhabit your little section of bricks. Each world of the universe will have a different theme that corresponds to the different sets of Legos. For example, you will be able to visit the Pirate Planet or perhaps jet over to the Medieval Castle Planet. Lego will provide the basis for each world and then the rest is all up the the users. You can own property and build up whatever creations your mind can come up with using your stock of bricks. Bricks can be earned by a combination of randomly finding them, completing missions and even battling. The more you play, the more bricks you can earn. While there will be no actual PVP battles, players will be able to create creatures/machines and use them to battle other players creations in their quest for more bricks. And of course, in the Lego Universe no one ever bleeds or dies, they just break apart.

There will be a blueprinting system so you can take your favorite creations and pass the plans off to friends or lock it up tight so no one well ever know how you created your awesome giant machine. The best part of all though is that unlike playing with real Legos, you'll never run out of bricks or be missing that one essential piece to finish your pirate ship. Single and multiplayer building missions will be available as well Hanson notes that you can play through the game on your own, but it will be slower and take a lot longer than playing cooperatively.

The game will be mainly aimed at the 8-12 set, but much like the Star Wars games, Hanson expects that quite a few adults will be interested as well. But the main goal is to create a safe space MMO where kids can go to play comfortably without all the nonsense that many adult MMOs bring to the table. Regular chat will be a moderated system with canned questions and responses, but there will also be a free "friend list" chat that will be available to players with parental approved friend's lists.

I'm looking forward to seeing more fom this game which I think really has some incredible potential to expand the minds and creativity of the players along the lins of something like Little Big Planet where its all about user generated content. So come 2009, be ready to ditch that Second Life, put away that WOW addiction and get ready to brick build your way to the ultimate Lego Universe.

5. Lego Digital Designer

Not so much a game as it was the updating of Lego to the digital age, allowing you to use your Mac or PC online to create your own Lego design and then order the blocks online, bringing your virtual creation to life. For those of us who can't afford the millions of Lego bricks it would take to build their own Lego home, this is as good as it gets.

4. Lego Racers (PC)

Number four would have to be sublime mixture of racing and building that was Lego Racers. While some reviewers thought it rather average, for me it was a lovely combination of two of my favorite pastimes, allowing me to build my own car and driver and then run them through a rather impressive series of tracks. Simple, sure, but I was pretty simple back in 1999 too.

3. Lego Chess (PC)

Oh sure, it's pretty much just Battlechess with Legos, but I'm a big fan of any game that mixes my deep love of strategic thinking with the torturing of tiny Lego beings.

2. Lego Island (PC)

The closest you're ever likely to get to my dream game, Grand Theft Lego, Lego Island was an open-ended PC game that allowed you to customize an entire island to your liking and explore using any number of vehicles you found or created to explore what your inventive mind had wrought. While it didn't let you stab prostitutes, you could always imagine it...Lego is all about using your imagination.

1. Lego Star Wars: The Video Game

You knew this was coming, didn't you? I wouldn't be the geek I am today if not for both Lego and Star Wars, so the combination of the two is almost like merging my parents together into one amazing, half-dead parental unit, which while creepy really is the essence of the Lego brand. Putting things together using your imagination. I choose the first game because it was the success of it that led not only to the sequel and repack, but Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, and - if I had my way - Grand Theft Lego.

A short list you might not all agree with, but that's the beauty of lists now, isn't it? Honestly the franchise has had a rather rocky start in the video games industry, but with Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, and the upcoming MMO Lego Universe on the way, things are looking brighter every day for those little clickable building blocks. Happy 50th, Lego!

I just received my second email from the LEGO Universe team today, this one revealing so more concept sketches from the Net Devil folks working to bring the world of bricks to the world of clicks.

The two new concept images show a taste of the game's interesting, perhaps European architecture, as well as some of the minifigs, some destruction and an kinda cool looking airship.

Hit the jump for the images and newsletter.

Planet earth shudders and quakes ...... quivers and shakes. There's a new universe coming to life!

Last month the LEGO® Universe team called for help creating a game logo and a cool newsletter name. Thanks for all the dynamite ideas and designs. Keep your eyes peeled next month ... you could see your creation used for the good of the Universe!

Exclusives in Every Edition
Newsletter names like "LEGO Insiders" by Aragorn3737 make it seem like people are pining for peeks into the Universe. Well, ahem, here's a link to a secret spot where you can see concept sketches by LEGO Universe artists!
You can always share this shrouded information with your best buddies, but it's the people signed up at http://www.legouniverse.com who get the goods first! You'll nab more scoops in next month's newsletter!

Form the Future!
Nocturnsly needed to know what your minifigs will look like, so he asked on the message boards. Now you can show us the characters you'll create! Post a picture of your little LEGO person here, and you may see them again soon in a surprise setting!
Just like the online game it's about, this newsletter will be shaped by fan feedback. Go to the message boards to guide us toward the topics you want to see covered in the future. We'll try to tackle them!

Until next month, play well!
-The LEGO Universe Team

I'm hanging out at the NetDevil offices and was lucky enough to get my hands on this copy of their trailer for the upcoming LEGO mmo. Keep in mind, this is just a concept, but it's a damn cool concept. More to come, plus, I think, a LiveBlog tonight in about an hour or so. Brian Crecente