January 2010 changed all of that, with a big reveal at CES that gave us a trailer full of zombie pirate awesome, and some actual alpha footage of the game. This quick progression from screenshots and interviews to trailers and gameplay footage led to the natural assumption that more was going to come quickly, and we were right: signups for the LEGO Universe beta began today, just a short while ago.
Don't tell us that it's a kids game and you're entirely too grown-up for it -- we know better. Nobody outgrows LEGO. Now go sign up for the beta, you know you want to. Signups can be made here, and we hope to see you in the beta. (Yes, we're signing up too. We told you: nobody outgrows LEGO.)
[Thanks to Dennis for the tip!]