Dbrand has announced the unexpected cancellation of its Steam Machine Companion Cube, a product revealed approximately seven months ago alongside Valve’s confirmation of the Steam Machine’s design and specifications. The company cited a crucial reason for the project’s halt: the absence of a license to distribute the product.
For those unfamiliar, the Companion Cube was designed as a shell that would allow users to replace their Steam Machine’s appearance with the iconic cube from the game Portal. Dbrand admitted on Reddit that they manufactured and sold this casing without obtaining the necessary license from Valve. The design of the Companion Cube is indeed part of Valve’s intellectual property. It is rather ironic that over the seven months since its announcement, Dbrand apparently did not communicate with Valve to negotiate a licensing agreement. Consequently, the company has stated that it will be refunding all purchasers.
Dbrand Initiated the Project on November 12th, Coinciding with the Steam Machine Announcement
This situation is particularly noteworthy because it wasn’t a casual joke or an impromptu conceptual product. According to Dbrand, the project officially began on November 12th, 2025, coinciding with the Steam Machine’s unveiling. At the time, the company published a conceptual render and a registration page to gauge interest, attracting over 15,000 interested users on the first day. Subsequently, Dbrand developed the concept into a tangible product over the following months, without prior consultation with Valve.
The company claims to have invested over 1,000 hours in engineering, developed 44 injection molds for the cube’s various sub-components, and redesigned the product multiple times to ensure a proper fit with the Steam Machine. They even mentioned renting a university campus for the launch video. Despite selling a version for $99, Dbrand stated that it was losing money on each unit, indicating that the project had become more of a brand-building and passion-driven endeavor than a purely profitable venture. It now appears that out of those 1,000 engineering hours, not even five minutes were dedicated to sending an email to Valve.
The commercial launch occurred on June 22nd, and the product quickly became Dbrand’s second-fastest launch in its 15-year history, surpassed only by the Switch 2 Killswitch casing. However, Valve’s approach has also been criticized, as their legal team only intervened once the chassis was available for sale. The legal team reminded Dbrand that the Companion Cube is Valve’s intellectual property and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the product and its promotional video. Dbrand acknowledged that Valve was within its rights and that the interaction was direct, fair, and respectful. Nevertheless, some argue that Valve should have addressed the situation much earlier, shortly after Dbrand’s announcement, rather than waiting until the product was released seven months later.
Dbrand Attempted to Salvage the Project, But Valve Refused
This adds to the perception that Valve took a rather unfavorable stance. They not only waited until the product was ready for sale to notify Dbrand but also rejected Dbrand’s attempt to salvage the project by proposing an officially licensed version under Valve’s terms. Dbrand, at least, has adopted a more respectful stance, admitting that its strategy was flawed: build first, ask for permission later. In their own statement, Dbrand conceded that Valve “did nothing wrong” and was merely protecting its franchise.
Valve could have shown more leniency towards a product conceived by Dbrand with thousands of affected users in mind, especially considering it was a casing designed to fit the Steam Machine chassis without obstructing air vents or rear exhaust. When initially presented, Dbrand had also hinted at other themed designs, such as shells inspired by the GameCube or Minecraft blocks. However, given Valve’s current stance, it is understandable that Dbrand might be discouraged from releasing further products for Valve’s device.
The community’s reaction on Reddit is divided between disappointment, memes, and direct criticism of Dbrand. Many users understand Valve’s need to protect its intellectual property, while others lament that such a striking product will not reach the market. There are also comments pointing out that Dbrand should have learned from previous conflicts with major brands and that, for a commercial product based on such a recognizable IP as Portal, seeking permission beforehand was a fundamental obligation. The project has been canceled, refunds will be issued to users, and this chapter has now closed.
