Tech accessory company dbrand has canceled its Steam Machine Companion Cube enclosure effective immediately because it didn’t ask Valve for permission to make it in the first place.
The company offered fans of the massively popular cosmetic a lengthy explanation – and an apology – with a post on its subreddit. Refunds are already in the works as of today, with buyers encouraged to reach out if they haven’t received one by the end of the week.
Unfortunately, dbrand’s account of the Companion Cube kerfuffle is painfully simple: “We built the idea into something real without ever asking Valve if we could.”
“We’re going to regret that decision for a very long time,” it added.
The accessory company recounts the events of November 12, 2025, the day Valve announced its PC-and-console hybrid, the Steam Machine. Interested gamers and, more specifically, fans of Portal, the game the accessory pulled its iconic model from, will remember seeing a concept render and sign-up page for the Companion Cube enclosure. As it turns out, despite going “moderately viral,” Valve never gave dbrand the OK to do this in the first place.
Dbrand says it “poured our souls” into the Steam Machine Companion Cube, spending “thousands of hours” ironing out the kinks in hopes of delivering a product that looked like it had been ripped right out of Aperture Science. It was redesigned from scratch “more than once” to make sure it cradled the Valve device perfectly.
Dbrand even added that it was set up to lose money on every $99 Poverty Cube alternative it sold. However, for the team putting their everything into the Portal love letter, “it didn’t matter” because “this had turned into a passion project for the entire organization.”
“Unfortunately, being proud of the thing we made did not give us the right to make it,” dbrand said.
The Steam Machine Companion Cube became the company’s second-fastest-selling product when orders opened last week. Then, Valve reached out.
“They stated that the Companion Cube is Valve intellectual property, for which dbrand does not have a license,” dbrand’s message continued. “They requested we take down the product and launch film immediately. This was entirely within their rights, and they were direct, fair, and respectful throughout.
“We took everything down and made an appeal. We asked Valve whether there was any way to keep the project alive: properly licensed, with their blessing, on their terms. They said no. Given our backwards approach of building first and asking permission later, it was a fair answer.”
Dbrand admitted that it “made something a lot of people were excited about, then incinerated our shot at bringing it to market.” It then called the situation “a hard lesson to learn publicly.”
Mentions of the Steam Machine Companion Cube have already been wiped from dbrand’s website and social media feeds. It’s been so thoroughly cleared that links to its previous store page now redirect straight to the Reddit post.
“It goes without saying, but we’ll say it regardless: Valve didn’t do anything wrong here,” dbrand added. “They built a game franchise a lot of people love and they alone get to decide how it’s used.
“To everyone who was as excited about this project as we were: thank you, and sorry. Refunds are being issued today. If it hasn’t landed in your account by the end of this week, you know how to reach us.”
“To Valve: thank you for Portal, and sorry for the headache. We should’ve asked first.”
Valve opened reservations for its Steam Machine last week and was immediately faced with scalpers. For more, you can read IGN’s original coverage of the Companion Cube – even if it will never see the light of day.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
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